Ty Rushing

Sen. Claire Celsi (D-West Des Moines) didn’t bite her tongue during the Iowa Senate’s second debate over Gov. Kim Reynolds’ education bill: “I’m ashamed of being a part of this body that has so callously cast our citizens aside.” Celsi’s frustrations were twofold. One, Reynolds’ education bill has been blasted by LGBTQ people and advocates…

Iowa Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls (D-Coralville) accused Iowa Senate Republicans of leaning into “authoritarianism” after they refused to answer questions during a debate on their child labor bill late Monday evening. “This is a really serious breach of tradition in the Iowa Senate and I think it marks a really sad development for the…

Iowa Senate Republicans have a solution for the state’s ongoing workforce shortage: Child labor. In a 32-17 vote just before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Senate advanced SF 542, which relaxes Iowa’s child labor laws and allows teenagers to work in more hazardous job conditions, including some that contradict federal law. Sens. Charlie McClintock (R-Alburnett)…

Despite objections from working-class and low-income Iowans, food banks, and more than 200 Iowa religious leaders, Iowa House Republicans advanced a bill on Thursday to cut food and health-care benefits for thousands of Iowans. After a marathon debate, the Iowa House advanced SF 494 in a 58-41 vote. All 35 Iowa House Democrats voted against…

Iowa House Republicans voted on Wednesday to make it easier to bring guns on the campuses of Iowa schools, community colleges, and universities and to require public schools to implement K-12 gun safety curriculum that was developed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). HF 654 passed 62-37, with only two of 64 Republicans voting against…

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann (R-Wilton), son of Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, is attempting to stop Iowa Democrats’ plan for a modified caucus that relies on mailed presidential preference cards. The younger Kaufmann introduced a committee bill on Monday that prevents anyone who is not physically present at the location of a precinct caucus from participating…

An Iowa House committee advanced a law on Monday to give parents something they can already control: Oversight of their child’s social media accounts. But the bill might instead lead parents to give up more of their own personal information to large social media companies. “Utah just did a law very similar that allows parental…

Despite both of her parents being college graduates, Esther Hurston said her family struggled financially for most of her childhood and those scars stick with her. “As a little girl, I never knew if we were going to have a home to live in, if I was going to have food to eat,” she said.…

Iowa House Republicans have a big decision to make: Vote to limit the Iowa Auditor of State Office’s ability to adequately audit over $12.1 billion in state funds or vote to maintain long-held and electorally-decided checks and balances in state government. A fiscal note for SF 478 was released on Friday by the nonpartisan Iowa…

Like many Iowans with a transgender child, Matt McIver of Des Moines has paid close attention to this year’s Iowa Legislative session, in which more than 30 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced including several that specifically targeted trans kids. Two of those bills—one makes it illegal to provide gender-affirming care to trans children and a school…