Iowa City-native Zach Wahls, an advocate for LGBTQ rights and author of a bestselling book ‘My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family,’ announced his campaign for the Iowa Senate today with a series of social media posts as well as an event in Coralville.
Iowa Legislature
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Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa and Iowa Women’s basketball members team up in new video
With over 95,000 Iowans living with long term disability from brain injuries, it’s no wonder the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa (BIAIA) has a mission of creating a better future through brain injury prevention, advocacy, education, research and support for all Iowans. The next step in that mission is teaming up with the University of Iowa Women’s basketball program to raise awareness through a video highlighting the importance of wearing helmets in reducing brain injuries.
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Report on sexual harassment in the Iowa State Senate Republican caucus says staffers fear retaliation if they speak up
The report that Iowa Senate President Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, claimed clearly showed that the Senate Republican caucus no longer has a problem with sexual harassment was finally released on Friday, as most Iowans were busy with Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving leftovers. The redacted two-page long report is light on details, but documents that staffers fear retaliation if they report problems and that problems go beyond staff and include the actions of Republican senators.
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Sen. Bill Dix changes his mind again about what Iowa Senate Republicans will do about sexual harassment
Iowa State Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix has reversed his position on what he will do to address sexual harassment and other workplace problems in the Senate Republican caucus. Again. Two weeks ago, Dix and Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer announced the State Senate and House would jointly hire a human resource manager for the legislature. Creating the HR position was a response to jury to award a former Senate Republican staffer $2,2 million, after finding the Senate Republican caucus violated laws against workplace sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
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Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix backs out of plan to address sexual harassment in Republican Senate caucus
Just days after it was announced the Iowa Senate Republicans would be hiring to a human resources manager to prevent further sexual harassment in their caucus, Sen. Majority Leader Bill Dix said he’s changed his mind.
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Everything is fine, says GOP Sen. Bill Dix after jury decides Iowa Senate Republicans violated sexual harassment laws
After a Des Moines jury decided Iowa State Senate Republicans violated sexual harassment, discrimination and anti-retaliation laws, Senate Republican leader Bill Dix released a statement saying the jury was wrong and the caucus doesn’t have a problem.
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Iowa City fireworks complaints: a lot of noise, but little else
On Wednesday, Iowa City announced the city police department received 406 complaints about fireworks between June 1 and July 5, a massive increase from the 32 complaint calls the ICPD logged during the same period last year. But how many citations were actually issued?
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Iowa City Council passes moratorium on some rental and building permits
New rental and building permits for some areas of Iowa City will be put on hold following the passage of a six-and-a-half-month moratorium during a special meeting Thursday morning. The move comes in response to state legislation that eliminates local governments’ ability to place occupancy limits on the number of non-family members in rental units.
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Three programs for sexual and domestic violence survivors defunded
Three programs have been defunded among other cuts to services for individuals who have experienced sexual and domestic violence following the Iowa Legislature’s decision to decrease funding for victim services by 26 percent. Additional funding cuts at the federal level also contributed to the shortfall.
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Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline defunded following state budget cuts
The Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) announced that the statewide hotline it has hosted since 1999 will be defunded as of October 1 this year following cuts to one quarter of the state funding for victim services.
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Four Planned Parenthood clinics close in Iowa
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced this week they will close clinics in the Quad Cities, Burlington, Keokuk and Sioux City as a result of funding cuts passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Terry Branstad.
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With the legislative session closed, activists respond to the Iowa Legislature’s conservative turn
Gov. Terry Branstad heralded this year as “one of the most significant and productive sessions in our history.” And it certainly did produce a large volume of wide-ranging, impactful bills. But for some, those bills represented a sharp lurch to the right and an abrupt end to bipartisan Iowa politics. Among the measures that left Iowa organizations and activists gearing up for a fight are laws impacting women’s access to abortions, reducing union bargaining rights, expanding and protecting access to guns and decreased support for public education.
Some measures, including a 72-hour waiting period for abortions and restrictions on collective bargaining rights for public employees, have already been challenged in court.
