Bob Eschliman Editor   Now that the first funnel dead has passed for the 2015 session of the Iowa General Assembly, the number of new bills being created will slow down substantially. The bill count this session now stands at 1,598. Most of the new bills created this week were […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   With 24 bills on the tentative debate schedule, Tuesday promised to be an exciting day in the North Wing of the Iowa Statehouse. The Iowa House of Representatives didn’t disappoint. The first bit of fireworks erupted during morning debate over House File 194, which proposes […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   As the fireworks were popping in the House of Representatives chamber, the South Wing of the Iowa Statehouse was seeing some political pyrotechnics of its own. The pugilistics began during debate of Senate File 1, which creates a second opportunity for Iowa-based companies that come […]

By The Iowa Statesman   After the wild day the Iowa House and Senate had yesterday, legislators are back to debating bills again today. Between the two chambers, there are 23 new bills scheduled for debate. In the House, which is just now convening for the day, the tentative debate […]

By The Iowa Statesman   Question: What percentage of individual bills introduced so far this legislative session in the Iowa General Assembly have been signed into law? The answer is coming, but first, a little explanation. Anyone who has ever been involved in the process to turn an idea into […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A major policy proposal made during Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s Condition of the State Address in January could find its way to floor debate in the House or Senate soon. House File 490, which is a successor bill to House Study Bill 39 offered at […]

By The Iowa Statesman   According to the National Review, starting in 2017, the Social Security Administration expects that thousands of undocumented immigrants will begin collecting from the Old-Age, Survivor’s, and Disability Insurance program as a direct result of President Obama’s “executive amnesty.” In a letter to U.S. Sen. Ron […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   Last week, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s bill to facilitate broadband access in targeted areas of the state advanced out of a key House of Representatives committee. House File 576, a successor bill to House Study Bill 104, passed out of the House Commerce Committee last […]

By The Iowa Statesman   The Iowa General Assembly has a busy day ahead of itself today. Nearly 50 bills will be debated and put up for a vote today in both chambers. In the Senate, which just passed 12 bills with overwhelming majorities yesterday, there are 23 bills on […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill offered last week in the Iowa Senate wants to explore a potential new source of income for casinos – which would, in turn, be a new source of revenue for the state. Senate Study Bill 1256, proposed by the Senate Committee on State […]

From Press Release   A great education includes knowing how to make smart, responsible financial decisions. As part of a statewide effort to improve students’ financial literacy skills, Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education today announced they will host an Iowa Financial Literacy Summit […]

By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent   The Iowa Ag Summit at the Elwell Family Food Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines has already provided plenty of fireworks, and it got started in the first few moments of the event when Iowa ag leader Bruce Rastetter kicked off his […]

By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent   Taking the stage with Iowa ag businessman Bruce Rastetter, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a likely Republican presidential candidate, was immediately asked about the “elephant in the room,” his steadfast opposition to the Renewable Fuel Standard and the wind energy Production Tax Credit. He […]

By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent   Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had his shot at the spotlight Saturday morning at Bruce Rastetter’s Iowa Ag Summit.  While his interview with Rastetter didn’t’ register much applause and lacked the laugh s presented by earlier candidates, Bush was clearly comfortable with the crowd and […]

By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent   Iowa ag leader Bruce Rastetter kicked off his Iowa Ag Summit with an apparent swipe at Texas U.S. Senator and outspen Renewable Fuel Standard critic Ted Cruz. Rastetter spe of Iowa’s responsibility to feed the world, declaring the agriculture industry to be of supreme importance […]

By The Iowa Statesman   The Justice Department is preparing to bring criminal corruption charges against New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, alleging he used his Senate office to push the business interests of a Democratic donor and friend in exchange for gifts According to CNN, which quoted anonymous […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   The long-promised personhood bill in the Iowa Senate was introduced Thursday just hours before the last opportunity to be considered by a committee. It did not pass out of committee prior to today’s funnel dead. In January, state Sen. Rick Bertrand (R-Sioux City) announced he […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A pair of bipartisan bills offered this week in the Iowa House seek to make substantial changes to the way Iowa Code deals with child support matters. House File 429, offered by state Reps. Deborah Berry (D-Waterloo) and Walt Rogers (R-Cedar Falls), would allow the […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   State Rep. Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines) has offered two bills this week aimed at increasing scrutiny over law enforcement activities in Iowa. House File 495, the expansive of the two bills, would prohibit a security agent or law enforcement agency from engaging in racial […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   State Sens. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) and Jerry Behn (R-Boone) have offered a bill this week that would direct the Iowa Board of Regents to prohibit the establishment of a tenure system “for any employee” at the universities under its oversight. Senate File 380 also provides […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   State Rep. Dan Kelley (D-Newton) offered than a dozen bills this week in the run-up to the first legislative funnel dead. Many of them are related to environmental concerns, but two in particular target large-scale animal feeding operations in Iowa. House File 483 would […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   The Iowa Senate Republican Caucus – all 24 members – have offered two amendments to the Iowa Constitution this week. The first, Senate Joint Resolution 10, proposes an amendment within a new Article XIII to the Constitution of the State of Iowa that relates to […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill offered this week by state Rep. John Forbes (D-Urbandale), a member of the Cannabidiol Implementation Interim Study Committee, would allow the production of industrial hemp with less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element of marijuana. House File 470 requires the Iowa Department […]

From Press Release   Gov. Terry Branstad today signed the following six bills into law: House File 123: an Act making a statutory correction to remove an inconsistency regarding the employment of the executive director of the Board of Educational Examiners. House File 159: an Act relating to the administration […]

By The Iowa Statesman   The Elwell Family Food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines will become the center of the political universe this weekend when the 2015 Iowa Ag Summit takes the stage, highlighting and promoting agriculture while providing a huge stage for likely presidential candidates. […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   Despite a declaration by one Iowa Senate Republican earlier this session that a personhood bill would be brought to a vote this session, no such bill has materialized with less than 48 hours to go before the first funnel dead. The first funnel is the […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A group of Iowa House Democrats has offered a bill this week to increase the earned income credit applied to Iowa individual income taxes. House File 465, authored by state Rep. Charlie McConkey (D-Council Bluffs) and co-sponsored by 16 of his colleagues, increases the amount […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   State Rep. Chris Hall (D-Sioux City) has sponsored a bill this week that would provide benefits to business owners who are service-disabled veterans. House File 463, if approved, would establish state procurement goals and preferences in government contracting for those businesses. It also would expand […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill offered this week by state Sen. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) would reduce the tax rates applied to corporations under the state corporate income tax. According to the Tax Foundation, Iowa ranks 40th overall in taxes, but ranks 49th in terms of corporate income tax […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A group of Iowa House Democrats has sponsored a bill that would direct the Iowa Department of Education to develop an “attendance center performance scoring system.” The system proposed under House File 428, authored by state Rep. Cindy Winckler (D-Davenport) and co-sponsored by six of […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   If you’re a homeschool family in Iowa, you understand the costs involved in educating children quite well. Not only do you pay to educate your own children, but through your property and income taxes, you pay to educate others’ children, as well. But this legislative […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   Covenant marriages are those in which marrying couples agree to obtain pre-marital counseling and accept far limited grounds for which they may later seek a divorce. So far, only three states – Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana – recognize covenant marriages. But, if one east-central […]

Bob Eschliman Editor   With the first funnel dead – the dead for bills from individual legislators to come out of committee – less than 48 hours away, there has been a flurry of bills submitted in both chambers of the Iowa Statehouse. In all, 1,359 bills and resolutions have […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states Americans’ “right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” But, in Iowa, you still have to obtain a permit before you can do so, in most cases, which has been a sticking point for […]

From Press Release   Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad yesterday announced appointments to fill Iowa’s boards and commissions, and executive branch department directors. The following appointees’ terms begin on May 1, 2015, unless otherwise noted, and are subject to Senate confirmation.   Director of Department on Aging Ms. Donna Harvey   […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill offered last week, if adopted, would effectively mute a federal government agency that has been a thorn in the side of Iowa farmers for years. Senate File 343, offered Thursday by state Sen. Dennis Guth (R-), would nullify the regulations of the U.S. […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   State Sen. Dennis Guth (R-Klemme) – as Bob Barker used to say – is doing his part to control the pet population. Last week, he offered four bills that address the breeding, sale, adoption, and transfer of cats and dogs in Iowa. The bills appear […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill recently offered in the General Assembly is already proposing to carve out an exemption for the new school start date law. Senate File 311, offered Wednesday by state Sen. Julian Garrett (R-Indianola), would exempt a school district or school district attendance center from […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill offered in the Iowa House last week would establish “one or ” facilities that may cause concern for residents of any community in which such a facility is operated. House File 399 was offered Wednesday by state Rep. Helen Miller (D-Fort Dodge) and […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   This week, a bipartisan group of legislators from both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly offered resolutions seeking an amendment to the Iowa Constitution. House Joint Resolution 9 is authored by state Rep. Greg Heartsill (R-Melcher-Dallas). Its cosponsors are state Reps. Steven Holt (R-Denison), John […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A Senate committee bill will allow the state to establish, assess, and collect fees associated with the federal Clean Air Act. The proposed legislation would grant new and wide-ranging powers to the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission, which may use the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill offered this week in the Iowa Senate would make the sale price of metered water ivered to residential customers exempt from state sales tax, but would instead create new “water tax” provisions for both the state and local governments. Senate Study Bill 1220, […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A bill introduced in the Iowa House this week would authorize local school districts to raise taxes on their patrons. House File 359, offered by state Rep. Dave Heaton (R-Mount Pleasant) would authorize any public school district to enact a voter-approved “transportation cost supplemental levy.” […]

By The Iowa Statesman   Editor’s note: this article has been updated as new information has become available.   We may now know what caused two northwest Iowa legislators to change their votes and turn their backs on their constituents regarding the bill that, among other things, contained a 10-cent […]

Bob Eschliman Editor   Legislators in the Iowa Senate and Iowa House of Representatives have now offered than 1,000 bills this session. This week alone, 184 bills – 83 in the Senate and 101 in the House – were added to the Bill Bo. To read individual bills, click […]

By The Iowa Statesman   After spending than an hour in caucus, the Iowa Senate immediately to up SF 257, the gas tax increase bill. You can watch the action live by clicking here.

By Bob Eschliman Editor   State Rep. Dan Kelley (D-Newton) has never been shy about his concern for the environment. Now, with two new bills offered last week in the Iowa House, he’s taking action on those concerns. First, in House File 309, he proposes to require a school district […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   It’s not often that the text of a legislative bill is shorter than its own explanatory statement. But such is the case for a bill offered by a group of House Republicans last week. House File 312, offered last Tuesday by state Reps. Sandy Salmon […]

By Bob Eschliman Editor   A group of Iowa senators is concerned about the well-being of kids in Iowa, and he wants several departments of state government to get together to discuss the matter. Senate Study Bill 1208, offered by the Senate Committee on Human Resources, chaired by state Sen. […]