By Bob Eschliman Editor It’s not uncommon for Christian conservatives to lob the accusation that liberals are attempting to “redefine marriage,” but a new bill filed in the Iowa House of Representatives – by a liberal Democrat – appears to do exactly that. House File 253, filed today by […]
By The Iowa Statesman As little as a week ago, it seemed President Obama’s pick for Attorney General was sailing smoothly to a U.S. Senate confirmation, much to the astonishment of conservatives in the Republican Party, which now controls that chamber. Things have changed a bit in the last […]
By The Iowa Statesman That’s right, we’ve had our fifth Cantoreasm over “thundersnow” — a weather phenomenon not too uncommon in Iowa — posted to The Weather Channel’s YouTube channel. As he indicated in his celebration, which former New Hampshire Gov. Howard Dean deemed “blase,” this is the fifth […]
By The Iowa Statesman Many Americans are now discovering just how expensive ObamaCare has become, whether you have it or not. According to published reports, a group of Democrats has approached President Obama about taking executive action to extend the dead for enrollment into ObamaCare. Wynton Hall of Breitbart.com […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor In honor of Presidents Day, we have compiled a list of 43 facts about our U.S. Presidents that you may not have already known. Enjoy! George Washington, in his will, provided for the immediate freedom of all his slaves at his death, and provided […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Since it was proposed last year, Dallas, TX, based Energy Transfer Partners’ 30-inch diameter pipe that would cross diagonally through Iowa has been met with stiff opposition. The proposed 1,134-mile pipe would carry up to nearly 24 million gallons of crude oil daily. The oil […]
By The Iowa Statesman Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad was a guest on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program over the weekend. During the taped interview, the governor told moderator Dean Borg and panelists O. Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa and Kathie Obradovich of The Des Moines Register he felt […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Representative Steve King had a busy day on Capitol Hill, offering three bills that addressed courtroom transparency, English as the official language of the United States, and repealing federal laws that require the use of “prevailing wages” on government contracts. First, the Fourth District […]
From Press Release U.S. Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA) continued to take a leading role in calling for a solution to the West Coast port slowdown. Blum participated in a bipartisan press conference calling for a swift resolution to the dispute between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshoreman […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor The proposed 10-cent increase in Iowa’s motor fuel tax may be on a fast track to passage, in spite of overwhelming public opposition. Identical study bills – House Study Bill 129 and Senate Study Bill 1168 – were offered Tuesday in their respective chambers’ transportation […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include from NICHE president Justin LaVan. Due to a negotiation over school spending increases two years ago, Iowa now has some of the most open education freedom laws in the country. But a group of Democrats […]
Bob Eschliman Editor If you have ever read our coverage of the Iowa General Assembly, you have likely seen phrases like “House File” or “Senate Study Bill,” and in doing so, perhaps you wondered what that means. Well, we’re going to help you out with that today. As we […]
By The Iowa Statesman Real estate and construction mogul Donald Trump, a now-likely Republican presidential candidate, has been announced as this year’s keynote speaker for the Pottawattamie County GOP’s Lincoln/Reagan Day Dinner to be held in May. Trump is still in the process of wrapping up his wildly popular […]
By The Iowa Statesman Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) offered a new immigration bill in the House of Representatives. The bill has a bit of the Golden Rule tucked into it. HR 899, the Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act, would require the country of origin of certain special […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald — who has been on the job less than a year — may have been trying to score points in the “soundbite game” during today’s Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in the House of Representatives. If so, he failed […]
Bob Eschliman Editor Despite a self-imposed moratorium on bill filings by individual legislators after the fourth week of the session, there were 178 new bills offered in the General Assembly in the past week. The total for the 2015 session is now up to 751 (and growing). To read […]
By The Iowa Statesman Whomever said God doesn’t have a sense of humor hasn’t seen a platypus or the latest images released from NASA. The Hubble Space Telescope recently snapped a photo of a galaxy cluster that provides — from Earth’s perspective — a constellation that most people will […]
By The Iowa Statesman The legislature in an “early state” will be considering a bill to close one of its public universities, which has come under enormous financial stress in recent years. The closure would be temporary, likely for only one fiscal year. According to WIS-TV in Columbia, SC, […]
By The Iowa Statesman UPDATE — Drudge is now reporting at The Drudge Report that NBC News’ Managing Editor and “Nightly News” Anchor Brian Williams has been suspended without pay for six months while the company continues to investigate concerns he is a serial liar. Drudge published an internal […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Iowa Senate passed six bills today to substantially increase education spending for preK-12 school districts in fiscal years 2016 and 2017, while also shifting some of the burden away from property tax payers in those years. Senate File 171, Senate File 172, Senate File […]
From Press Release U.S. Rep. Steve King released the following statement after introducing his New IDEA Act, the Illegal Deduction Elimination Act: “I believe we must shut off the job magnets that encourage illegal immigrants to come to the United States. I have authored New IDEA, the Illegal Deduction […]
From Press Release Gov. Terry Branstad, First Lady Chris Branstad, and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today rallied with than 100 Iowa students at the Iowa State Capitol to call for passage of the Bully Free Iowa Act of 2015. The students and Sioux City School District Superintendent Dr. […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Iowa Senate is scheduled to begin debate on education funding at 11:30 a.m. today. You may watch the debate live by clicking here. State Sen. Tod Bowman (D-Maqueta) will lead the series of debates on all six education funding-related bills. Senators will debate the […]
By The Iowa Statesman According to Bill Gertz of The Washington Free Beacon, war hawks in the Chinese military are pushing to arm one secessionist movement in the U.S. in retaliation for U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and recently threatened to challenge American sovereignty by making legal claims to […]
From Press Release FROM: RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer TO: Interested Parties RE: Hillary’s Hiding We’ve noticed it. You’ve noticed it: Hillary Clinton is hiding. Potential Republican presidential candidates are out in public, speaking to voters, and sharing their ideas. But Hillary Clinton is nowhere to be found. Well, we do […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor For Iowa Republicans, 2014 was certainly a year of highs and lows. It started with egate stacking and a retaking of the reins of party leadership by the Gov. Terry Branstad-led establishment, and it ended with a thorough trouncing of Democrats in many statewide races. […]
By The Iowa Statesman Update: We had a late-breaking addition that just had to be included. Scroll to the end to see it. Ever since NBC and its VOG had to back-pedal on his 2003 claim of having been in a helicopter forced down by enemy fire over Iraq, […]
By The Iowa Statesman In an interview with The Washington Post, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he “wouldn’t bet” on him seeking a seventh term in office. In the report posted to WaPo’s website today, Branstad said he’s continuing to groom Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds to be his successor. […]
By The Iowa Statesman It’s no secret Iowans For Tax Relief is adamantly opposed to the proposed 10-cent increase in Iowa’s motor fuel taxes. The group recently released a document that offers some alternatives to gas tax increases. “The high-pressure push for a 10-cents per gallon gas tax increase […]
From Press Release At least four potential and likely presidential candidates have confirmed their participation in the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators’ eighth annual “Homeschool Day at the Capitol” on Thursday, April 9. “We’ve invited a number of Christian conservatives to hear from Iowa’s home educators about issues […]
By The Iowa Statesman Former U.S. Senate and Treasurer of Iowa candidate Dr. Sam Clovis announced this afternoon that former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is coming to Morningside College next week for the first of what may become a series of “town hall” meetings with probable 2016 presidential candidates. […]
By The Iowa Statesman A unit of the Iowa National Guard will be drilling tomorrow in Des Moines. According to public affairs director Col. Greg Hapgood, the unit will be conducting a training exercise in coordination with local police and fire professionals. The 71st Civil Support Team (WMD), a […]
By The Iowa Statesman Another potential 2016 presidential contender is coming to Iowa later this week, according to published reports, which have been confirmed by the candidate-to-be’s staff. No, it won’t be another Republican, but it will be someone with high name recognition. Vice President Joe Biden will be […]
By The Iowa Statesman Those who have been predicting a 5-4 “Roe v Wade” decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of homosexual “marriage” this summer may be in for even greater heartbreak than they currently imagine. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, has decided […]
By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent Nobody thought that former US Representative Ron Paul would show up in Iowa this week to stump with his son, Kentucky Senator and likely 2016 presidential candidate Rand Paul; but when Rand to the stage to iver the keynote at an “Audit the Fed” rally […]
By The Iowa Statesman When the popular ride-share business Uber moved into Des Moines last fall, it created quite a bit of controversy, because it does not employ licensed taxi-cab drivers, as is currently required by city regulations. A bill offered yesterday in the Iowa House of Representatives is […]
By The Iowa Statesman A bill offered yesterday in the General Assembly would completely scrap the way certain businesses are licensed and regulated by the State of Iowa. Senate File 168, offered by state Sen. Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines), seeks to regulate all businesses that “possess or control” non-agricultural […]
A bill now being considered in the Iowa Senate would create a new breed of police officer in the state. These won’t be you typical “rent-a-cop” types, either. Senate File 163, submitted Thursday by state Sen. Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines), would allow the governing board of any hospital to commission […]
By The Iowa Statesman In an ongoing sign of the times for the retail industry, RadioShack has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and announced yesterday that it will be selling off or closing all of its stores in the U.S. The New York Stock Exchange stopped trading RadioShack […]
By The Iowa Statesman Today state Rep. Dean Fisher (R-Garwin) and Secretary of State Paul Pate held a press conference to announce the Safe At Home Act, which will provide address confidentiality, via the Secretary of State’s Office, for victims of domestic abuse and others who are concerned for […]
From Press Release Gov. Terry E. Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa be flown at half-staff from 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, until 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in honor of Centerville Assistant Fire Chief Michael Cooper, who was killed in the of duty serving in the […]
By The Iowa Statesman That the United States have been negotiating directly with Iran over its nuclear program has been troubling to many, but the latest news coming from Tehran may be even concerning. In fact, it just might fuel conservative concerns that President Obama’s foreign policy is […]
By The Iowa Statesman A number of House Republicans have decided to offer a new proposal to meet the state’s road construction, maintenance, and supervision needs. House Joint Resolution 5, offered yesterday by state Rep. Walt Rogers (R-Cedar Falls), aims to amend the Constitution of Iowa to provide […]
By The Iowa Statesman A key component of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s staff has announced she is departing state employment tomorrow. Brenna (Findley) Bird, who has served as the legal counsel for Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds since they to office in 2011, is taking a job in […]
By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent Nearly two weeks ago, just prior to his appearance at Steve King’s Iowa Freedom Summit, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz carved out some time to meet with leading liberty activists from around Iowa. The low-key meeting, held in Des Moines, was many activists’ first time to […]
By The Iowa Statesman Most legislators take their oaths of office seriously. And it is the Oath of Office of one member of the Iowa General Assembly that resulted in a new piece of legislation yesterday that is making national heads. Senate File 148, also known as the Fourth […]
By The Iowa Statesman New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s quest for the Republican presidential nomination may already be sinking — fast. Having sho off “Bridgegate” last year, the governor now faces a federal criminal investigation over allegations he and his staff quashed grand jury indictments of his supporters. The […]
By The Iowa Statesman Who won’t Speaker of the House John Boehner invite to speak to joint sessions of Congress? That’s question we’re left to ponder after the latest news from Capitol Hill today. This morning, FOX News bre the story that Pope Francis will speak to a joint […]
By The Iowa Statesman Maj. Gen. Timothy Orr, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, spe today before a joint session of the Iowa General Assembly to present his Condition of the Iowa National Guard speech. The full text of that speech follows: Good morning Ladies and gentlemen […]
By The Iowa Statesman It’s no secret the Iowa Democratic Party is married to organized labor in the state. And, while Democrats often propose legislation that would be beneficial to unions, a pair of bills offered yesterday in the General Assembly were surprising. House File 164, offered by Todd […]
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