Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bill that would change how state laws and regulations are made in ways that would undermine the rights of transgender people will not pass during this legislative session. HF 2389 would have needed to be passed by a committee in the Iowa Senate this week, in order to remain viable. But the […]
Zach Wahls
Posted inCommunity/News
Vaccine bill advances in Senate, despite medical community’s opposition
A bill that eliminates a minor’s legal right to consent to vaccinations against sexually transmitted infections has advanced in the Iowa Senate despite united opposition from Iowa’s medical community. SF 2064 would revise an existing state law that gives minors the legal capacity to provide the necessary consent for them to receive medical care related […]
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Sen. Pam Jochum replaces Sen. Zach Wahls as Iowa Senate minority leader
Iowa Senate Democrats voted Wednesday evening to elect Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, to replace Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, as Senate minority leader. Iowa Democrats left the meeting at the Iowa State Capitol at 9 p.m., referring questions to Jochum’s office. The move came after Wahls’ office announced via email Friday the office was ending the […]
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Gov. Reynolds boasts about returning $95 million in federal COVID-19 aid, rejecting migrant children during Fox News forum
Gov. Kim Reynolds boasted to an audience of Fox News fans in Orlando, Florida on Thursday night that she had rejected $95 million in pandemic relief funds from the CDC. The Iowa Department of Public Health informed the CDC of that decision on April 23, but the governor had not previously disclosed that she approved […]
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Republican-backed bill allowing charter schools to avoid local oversight goes to the governor’s desk
A bill preempting the authority of local school boards over publicly funded charter schools is going to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for her signature. Reynolds named this sort of expansion of charter schools in Iowa as one of her top priorities in her Condition of the State speech at the beginning of this year’s legislative […]
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Gov. Reynolds signs bills eliminating gun permits, giving new legal protection to gun manufacturers and sellers
On Friday afternoon, as the Easter holiday weekend was beginning, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office sent out a news release stating that the governor had signed into a law a bill eliminating the requirement for a person to be licensed to buy or carry a gun. The bill, HF 756, was passed by the Iowa House, […]
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Iowa Senate Republicans push through bills eliminating gun permits and giving gunmakers new legal protections
The Iowa Senate passed two bills concerning gun sales on Monday. The first removes the requirement for a person to be licensed to buy or carry a gun, and the second provides broad immunity against lawsuits to gun manufacturers and dealers. Both bills passed the Republican-controlled chamber on party-line votes. HF 756 and HF 621 […]
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The Iowa Legislature reconvenes, will consider protecting businesses from COVID-19 lawsuits
On Wednesday, the Iowa Legislature reconvened for the first time since March 16, when it went into emergency recess in response to the spread of COVID-19 in the state. And issues related to the virus will loom large in the coming weeks.
Posted inCOVID-19
Sen. Zach Wahls has signed up as a poll worker in Johnson County, and encourages other young people to do the same
Election officials in eastern Iowa and beyond have one resounding message for primary voters: fill out your ballot from home. With social distancing in effect — and the Wisconsin primary on April 7, in which thousands of voters found themselves in long, slow lines in and outside polling places, serving as a cautionary tale — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has expanded the mail-in voting period
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Watch: Caucus night at Coralville Precinct 1
Not everything went wrong on Caucus Day. A Democratic precinct in Coralville, Iowa saw a record turnout and relatively smooth proceedings — even though caucus rules can be confusing. Little Village sat in on Coralville Precinct 1 (at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts) the night of Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.
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Catching up with Zach Wahls, new state senator
“We tried to get all three of the Zachs in the front row next to each other, but they didn’t go for it,” Zach Wahls says with a laugh. Wahls is standing inside the Iowa Senate Chamber on the top floor of the capitol building, proudly pointing to his desk near the front of the […]
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Hubbell, Wahls and Dejear win, and other notable results from the 2018 primary election
Fred Hubbell won the Democratic nomination for governor with a decisive victory in Tuesday’s primary election. For months it was widely speculated that none of the six Democratic candidates for governor would receive 35 percent of the vote, which would leave the selection of the nominee to the Democratic Party convention. Even though the primary […]
