On Monday, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that restricts early voting, voting by mail and voting on Election Day, and makes it easier to remove people from voting rolls and harder for third-party candidates to get on the ballot for statewide and federal races. The bill criminalizes possible errors made by local […]
Iowa Legislature
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Bill to restrict discussion of ‘divisive concepts’ in schools, such as systematic racism and sexism, advances in state legislature
A bill that would restrict discussion of “divisive concepts” related to racism and sexism in Iowa schools and universities was passed by an Iowa House subcommittee on Monday. Both of the Republicans on the subcommittee voted for it, and the lone Democrat opposed it. HSB 258 would require that the instructor of any mandatory diversity […]
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UI now planning in-person commencement ceremonies after Republican lawmaker introduces bill that would mandate them
The University of Iowa has reversed its decision to hold only virtual commencement ceremonies for its spring 2021 graduates in an attempt to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and will hold in-person ceremonies. UI announced on Feb. 3 it would be holding a virtual ceremony. In its statement, the university acknowledged “how much [in-person] […]
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State Republicans pass bill to restrict early voting, voting by mail and voting on Election Day in Iowa
Just eight days after it was introduced in the Iowa Legislature, a bill that would make it harder to vote but easier to remove people from voting rolls, and creates new criminal liability for local election officials, received its final approval. On Wednesday night, the Republican-controlled Iowa House of Representatives sent the bill to Gov. […]
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Republican lawmakers advance bill that cuts off state funding to any city that reduces its police budget
A bill that would halt state funding to any city or county that reduces the budget of its local law enforcement agency is making its way through the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives. SSB 1203, known in the House as HSB 230, was introduced last Thursday and approved by subcommittees in the both the […]
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Iowa House will hold a public hearing on bills to restrict voting Monday evening
The Iowa House of Representatives has scheduled an online public hearing at 5 p.m. on Monday for the election bill that was fast-tracked through both the House and Senate last week. HF 590, formerly HSB 213, along with its companion bill in the Senate, which was SSB 1199 before being renumbered SF 413, was introduced […]
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‘It’s voter suppression’: Iowa Republicans target voting access, citing Trumpian election conspiracy theories
At least 33 state legislatures around the country, most of them controlled by Republicans, are working on bills that restrict voting. Iowa is one of them. “These bills are an unmistakable response to the unfounded and dangerous lies about fraud that followed the 2020 election,“ the Brennan Center for Justice said in a report on […]
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Eliminating tenure, identifying Democrats, controlling spending: Republican lawmakers seek to change Iowa’s universities
An effort by Republicans in the state legislature to eliminate tenure at Iowa’s three public universities advanced this week, as the House Education Committee passed a bill to end tenure at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, and a Senate subcommittee approved the Senate version of that bill. […]
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Bill that would allow landlords to refuse to rent to people on federal assistance approved by Iowa Senate subcommittee
A bill advancing through the Iowa Senate would strike down ordinances in Iowa City, Marion and Des Moines that prevent landlords from discriminating against people who receive federal housing assistance. SSB 1079 would strip all local governments in the state of the power to enact or enforce ordinances that prohibit landlords from rejecting potential renters […]
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Iowa House Republicans push through an amendment to add anti-abortion language to the Iowa Constitution
Shortly after 9 on Wednesday night, the Republican-controlled Iowa House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to eliminate the existing protection for abortion rights in Iowa. The vote was 55-44, with three Republicans — Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood, Lee Hein of Monticello and David Maxwell of Gibson — joining all the chamber’s Democrats in opposing […]
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Iowa House Republicans reject COVID-19 precautions; Iowa ranks last among states in reporting test results
On Tuesday, the Republican majority on the rules committee of the Iowa House of Representatives rejected proposals from Democrats that would have required face masks to be worn in the Iowa Capitol Building and made it possible for lawmakers and members of the public to participate remotely during this year’s legislative session. Democrats proposed two […]
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Wear a mask, Iowa Public Health Association asks state lawmakers
The Iowa Public Health Association (IPHA) sent an open letter to the state legislature on Thursday, asking lawmakers to “accept your position of critical role models to the people of Iowa” and “lead by example and always wear a mask during your work at the Capitol and ask others to do the same.” As IPHA […]
