Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have rarely publicly disagreed with Gov. Kim Reynolds during her eight years in office. Even when they didn’t support her position on an issue, they would downplay any differences. That all changed on Wednesday, when Gov. Reynolds vetoed HF 639, a bill that would have added new requirements on projects […]
Jack Whitver
Posted inCommunity/News
Two gun bills head to governor’s desk: one to prevent tracking of suspicious purchases, one to protect armed school staff from liability
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have passed two bills dealing with guns this week. On Tuesday, the Iowa Senate gave final approval to a bill to prevent credit card companies from taking steps that would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to identify purchases of firearms and ammunition. A day earlier, the House voted […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa House approves bill to prevent tracking of suspicious gun purchases on party-line vote
A bill to stop credit card companies from taking steps to help law enforcement agencies identify suspicious purchases of firearms and ammunition was passed by the Iowa House of Representatives on Tuesday. HF 2464 was approved on a party-line vote with House Democrats voting against it. The bill prohibits credit card companies from using transaction […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Gov. Reynolds won’t ask lawmakers to outlaw abortion yet, will try to get the courts to do that
Gov. Kim Reynolds said on Wednesday she’s waiting until state courts decide whether to revive a never-enforced 2018 law banning almost all abortions in Iowa, before she’ll announce if there will be a special session of the Iowa Legislature this year to further restrict reproductive rights. The so-called “fetal heartbeat bill” was struck down as […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Ban on local governments, schools and businesses asking for proof of COVID vaccination advances in the Iowa Legislature
The Iowa House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of a bill intended to prohibit so-called “vaccine passports” on Monday. The bill was introduced on Friday, two weeks after Gov. Kim Reynolds called for such legislation. “I strongly oppose vaccine passports and I believe that we must take a stand as a state against them, which […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Inspectors find inadequate COVID-19 protection and other safety issues at the Iowa Capitol
An inspection by the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Agency (IOSHA) found that working conditions in the Iowa State Capitol Building were putting people at unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19, according to a “Hazard Alert Letter” the agency issued to the Republican leaders of the Iowa Legislature who control the building. But working conditions […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds doesn’t answer question about political divide on vaccines, announces college vaccination programs
As Iowa prepares to for its largest expansion of eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination — everyone 16 and older for the Pfizer vaccine, and those 18 and older for both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — Gov. Kim Reynolds was asked at her weekly news conference if she any insight into why many people in a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCOVID-19
‘Our state has never been stronger’: Reynolds calls for accelerated tax cuts and full-time in-person school, despite pandemic
More than 4,200 Iowans have died from COVID-19, and food insecurity in the state has been pushed to it highest level in living memory by economic damage from the pandemic. Still, Gov. Kim Reynolds told the Iowa Legislature at the beginning of her Condition of the State speech on Tuesday night that “the condition of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa may soon start vaccinating all older adults; anti-vaxxers protest without masks at State Capitol
A total of 91,501 Iowans, including 9,411 residents of Johnson County and 6,797 residents of Linn County, had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. The department has said it will now publish updates on the number of people vaccinated, at both […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Republican leaders join President Trump in trying to pressure the Big 10 into resuming fall football season
The Republican leaders of the Iowa Legislature sent a letter to Big 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren, asking him to restore the conference’s fall football system, which was canceled due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. “Just last month, under your leadership, the Big Ten released updated and enhanced testing, quarantine and isolation policies,” Speaker […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Johnson County Auditor will mail an absentee ballot request form to every voter before November election
The Johnson County Auditor’s Office announced on Thursday it will “mail every voter in the county a postage paid absentee ballot request form” for the November general election. “Due to public health concerns raised from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Johnson County Auditor’s Office strongly encourages you to vote from home for the November 3, […]
