Politics
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Iowa Republicans unveil latest plan to arm teachers with guns
Despite Iowa Republicans calling teachers “sinister,” limiting how they can teach history and social studies, what books they can teach from, and proposing cameras in the classroom to monitor them in real-time, they apparently trust them enough to give them guns. Introduced on Wednesday, HSB 675 would allow districts, private schools, and colleges to arm…
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Iowa Senate bill would expand postpartum coverage, but limit participants
A bill that would increase postpartum Medicaid coverage for a full year, but restrict the number of people eligible for the program continues to work its way through the Iowa Senate. The limit is currently at 60 days and Iowa is one of only three states that hasn’t expanded coverage. The others are Idaho and…
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Public hearing set for Gov. Reynolds’ anti-trans bill
PUBLIC HEARING UPDATE: A public hearing has been set for Iowa Gov. Reynolds’ most recent anti-trans bill, which was renumbered to House File 2389. The bill would establish legal definitions of gendered terms like “man,” “woman,” “mother,” and “father,” and require trans Iowans to have special birth certificates and use separate facilities in public facilities.…
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Trump is not immune from prosecution in his 2020 election interference case, US appeals court says
Trump is seeking to delay a trial until after the November election. If he were to defeat President Joe Biden, he could presumably try to use his position as head of the executive branch to order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal cases he faces or potentially could seek a pardon for himself.
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Iowa Republican’s bill would defund public libraries, eliminate local library boards
Sen. Jesse Green (R-Boone) introduced a bill last week that many library advocates say could lead to the end game for public libraries in Iowa. SSB 3131 would change how cities and counties fund public libraries by changing the language in Iowa Code from “shall” to “may,” which would allow those entities to opt out…
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Reynolds says her bill to erase LGBTQ Iowans in legal code is ‘necessary’
One day after LGBTQ advocates celebrated a trans discrimination bill dying in an Iowa House subcommittee, Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced a new culture-war-driven bill on Thursday aimed at legally erasing queer Iowans. HSB 649 would create a new code in Iowa to legally define “sex,” “male,” “female,” “mother,” and “father” and require all governmental entities…
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VIDEOS: Iowans react to LGBTQ discrimination bill going up in flames
On Wednesday, an Iowa House subcommittee for HF 2082 met to hear public comments and debate if the bill should move forward. If passed, HF 2082 would have removed gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act and categorized gender dysphoria as a disability, effectively legalizing the discrimination of trans Iowans.…
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Kalbach: Why we’re fighting to protect our AEAs
Gov. Kim Reynolds is once again attacking Iowa’s public school system. This time she wants to slash vital services offered by our Area Education Agencies (AEAs). AEAs provide special education support, media services, training, crisis intervention, professional development and more. These agencies are critical for kids, families, teachers and our communities. AEAs serve more than…
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Iowa Senate Dem bill would guarantee access to birth control
Thousands of Iowans have told Iowa senators that protecting reproductive rights is their biggest issue. “I see a great deal of concern when I’m out door knocking,” said Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D-West Des Moines). “One fellow, he’s a registered Republican and he was so upset about attacks to abortion access. He has three daughters,…
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Reynolds’ AEA bill goes dormant in House, but survives in Iowa Senate
When Lilli Norris’ parents adopted her from China, they did not know that she couldn’t speak, that she had a bad heart, and that she was mostly deaf. “The reason I tell you this is that Lilli was the first student at Carlisle Elementary to have a microphone introduced to us by Iowa AEA,” said…
