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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 […]

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Speaker Grassley says the governor’s school voucher program won’t pass this year

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ attempt to pressure the Iowa Legislature into passing a bill that diverted public schools funds to private schools has failed. The governor made the creation of a school voucher program using education savings accounts one of her […]

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A ‘sinister agenda’ and tax cuts: Iowa Republican leaders announce their legislative priorities

It’s standard practice for the presiding official in each chamber of the Iowa Legislature to use their first speeches on the opening day of the new session to lay out the majority party’s agenda, but Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman’s […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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‘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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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