Joe Bolkcom, State Senator, Iowa City Taking the lead from President Trump, Gov. Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg recently overruled local school officials and ordered Iowa kids and teachers back to in-person school in four weeks. Their decision upends weeks of planning and preparation by local school boards, superintendents, teachers and parents to safely […]
Joe Bolkcom
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Iowa legislature should override veto of CBD bill
We all make mistakes. Gov. Reynolds made a mistake when she vetoed legislation that would make essential improvements to Iowa’s medical cannabis program. She got bad advice and didn’t listen to the Iowans most directly involved. These are our friends and neighbors who suffer every day with such debilitating, life-threatening conditions
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill that cuts off Medicaid funds for gender confirmation procedures
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Friday that contained a provision overturning a March ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors. The justices ruled unanimously that the ban violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act
Posted inCommunity/News
Poll: Midwesterners favor marijuana legalization more strongly than other Americans
People in the Midwest favor legalizing marijuana more strongly than people in any other part of the country, according to a new national opinion survey. The General Social Survey (GSS), conducted biennially by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, has been tracking public opinion on marijuana since 1973.
Posted inCommunity/News
State Senate approves multi-million dollar program to promote ‘Iowa work ethic’ among Medicaid recipients
The Republican-led Iowa Senate passed a bill imposing work requirements on Medicaid recipients on a party line vote on Tuesday. SF538 would require Iowans determined to be “able-bodied” to work at least 20 hours a week at a job or as a community volunteer, or to attend school for that amount of time, in order […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Dark money group steps up support for new fee on solar panels
A dark money group has increased its efforts to support a bill (SF583) that would let utility companies impose new fees on homeowners and businesses that install solar panels. The REAL Coalition of Iowa was incorporated as a nonprofit on Jan. 23, apparently to support the House and Senate versions of the bill. A dark money group is a nonprofit that engages in political activity but does not disclose its funders.
Posted inCommunity/News
Poll: Iowans evenly split on marijuana legalization
Iowans are evenly split on legalizing recreational marijuana, according to a new poll published by the Des Moines Register. The Iowa Poll found 48 percent of respondents favored legalization, 48 percent opposed it and 4 percent were unsure. This is a significant change from the results of the last Iowa Poll on the topic. In […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Iowa should regulate marijuana like beer, wine and liquor
Ten states now regulate marijuana like alcohol. Iowa should follow their lead. Marijuana prohibition hasn’t worked and has hurt taxpayers and everyday Iowans. By legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana to Iowa adults, we can refocus our criminal justice system on serious crime and expand substance abuse treatment programs.
Posted inCommunity/News, Features
Medical cannabis bill advances in Iowa senate
A bill to expand access to medicinal cannabis in Iowa may be debated as soon as today. Senate File 506 has received bipartisan support and may pass in the senate. The ways and means committee, including Sen. Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City), voted 14 to 1 to move forward with the bill.
Posted inCommunity/News
There’s something skunky about medical marijuana in Iowa
When Gov. Terry Branstad signed a bill on May 30 allowing some Iowans to posses cannabidiol oil, an orally-taken cannabis extract that lacks the intoxication effects normally associated marijuana, Iowa joined a list of 33 other states in allowing some form of medical marijuana regulation. Critics have since argued that Iowa’s law is too narrow […]
