Matt Chapman

In an earlier post titled “Five senate bills target Iowans on public assistance,” we took a deep dive into legislation that was designed to kick Iowans off the roles in various programs. They are the working poor, disabled, children, and the elderly. Many would be destitute if not for this assistance. The messaging is that…

Dear Senate President and my senator, Charles Schneider, I heard from a friend that an Americans For Prosperity (AFP) lobbyist was at the recent Waukee forum and shared something along these lines of their recent messaging: We believe that public assistance programs should be narrowly tailored to those who need them and for those who…

The House District 44 candidate forum on October 11th between candidates Democrat Kenan Judge and Republican Anna Bergman was a policy-based discussion that was civil and informative. Before the forum, the Bergman and Judge campaigns talked policy. But the second the forum was over, Anna Bergman posted an attack ad against her opponent on social…

When you look at the roll calls to see how many Democrats voted for SF 2349, it seems stunning that they voted for this flawed bill. But the answer lies in election year politics and the Republicans using their power to force Democrats to vote in a no-win situation while giving a big wet kiss…

After Senator Charles Schneider was sworn in as Senate President on March 15, Senator Liz Mathis took to the floor for a point of personal privilege. You can view her comments here at 9:15.10. It’s about five minutes. “Why should a man on Medicaid have to go to court to receive bowel care?” she asked.…