An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a bill Tuesday that would restrict access to abortion medication by mail, require physicians to inform patients about the potential to reverse a medication abortion and collect written consent of the patient seeking an abortion. HSB 186 references “recent developing research” that indicates medication-induced abortions are not always effective in ending […]
Iowa Legislature
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Iowa’s abortion law is dangerously vague, Iowa health providers, advocates and Democrats warn
University of Iowa student Aubrey Stark remembers coming home from elementary school to see her usually lively pregnant mother, Mandy Stark, ill and bedridden. “She was in so much pain,” Stark said. “[Her condition] was not safe for her at all.” Mandy Stark was suffering from a molar pregnancy, defined by the National Cancer Institute […]
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Higher education leaders seek clarification on ‘return on investment’ for new Iowa House committee
As a new Iowa House higher education committee gets its start with the beginning of the legislative session, college and university leaders are signaling their willingness to work with lawmakers while seeking clarification about what “return on investment” the Statehouse is seeking. Higher education committee chair Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, said at the committee’s first […]
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Iowa Board of Regents to consider removing DEI language from strategic plan
The Iowa Board of Regents will consider a new draft of its strategic plan at its meeting next week, edited to remove language pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion. According to documents released Tuesday, the body’s new 2022-2027 strategic plan would remove certain guidelines and words in response to legislation that has passed over the […]
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Property tax legislation expected in the 2025 session, legislative leaders say
Iowans should expect to see further property tax law changes brought up in the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers said Tuesday at the Greater Des Moines Partnership legislative leadership breakfast. Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner, House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst and Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, answered questions and talked about their […]
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Sen. Nate Boulton concedes race to GOP challenger Mike Pike after recount
Iowa Sen. Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines, conceded his race for reelection Friday after the recount for Iowa Senate District 20 concluded and found Republican Mike Pike maintained his lead. Boulton served in the Iowa Senate since 2017 and held the position of Iowa Senate Democratic whip in the most recent General Assembly. In his concession […]
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Gaming panel hears public comments on Cedar Rapids casino proposal
Members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission heard mostly favorable comments Wednesday about a proposed new casino in Cedar Rapids, as well as some concerns from people affiliated with a group, Iowans for Common Sense, launched to oppose casino expansion in the state. The IRGC meeting was held at the Kirkwood Center in Cedar […]
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All of the ‘Big 5’ publishers are now suing Iowa over its school book ban
All of the “Big 5” publishing houses are now suing Iowa to overturn the state’s school book ban signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May 2023. Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, MacMillan Publishing Group and Simon & Schuster have joined Penguin Random House as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the book ban. […]
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Iowa Poll shows large majority oppose state’s new abortion ban, support reproductive choice
A new Iowa Poll shows an overwhelming majority of Iowans opposed the state’s new near-total abortion ban. Support for the right to an abortion has also increased since Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the ban into law in July 2023, according to the poll published by the Des Moines Register on Sunday. Fifty-nine percent of respondents […]
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Voters can now request absentee ballots for the first presidential election since Iowa’s 2021 restrictions
Registered voters in Iowa can now request absentee ballots for the November general election from their county auditor’s office. The first day auditors can mail the ballots to voters who have requested them will be Oct. 16, the same day early in-person voting begins. Printable absentee ballot request forms are available on the Iowa Secretary […]
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The world reacts to Iowa’s abortion ban, from Kamala Harris to local OB-GYNs: ‘Women will be harmed and die because of this law’
“Make no mistake: half of the state is less free today than they were yesterday because of Republicans in the legislature and Kim Reynolds,” Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said on Monday. “There’s just no other way to look at it.” The Windsor Heights Democrat was speaking about the state’s near-total abortion ban, which […]
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Iowa Supreme Court upholds near-total abortion ban, creating ‘a constitutional rule that gives no weight to a woman’s autonomy over her body’
Six years ago, the Iowa Supreme Court found the state constitution guaranteed the right to an abortion. “Autonomy and dominion over one’s body go to the very heart of what it means to be free,” then-Chief Justice Mark Cady wrote in the 2018 decision striking down a medically unnecessary 72-hour waiting period for an abortion […]
