Politics

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ “parental rights” education bill could cost Iowa public schools as much as $62.3 million over a five-day period, according to a fiscal note from the nonpartisan Iowa Legislative Services Agency (LSA). Among the measures included in Reynolds’ sweeping education bill are book censorship, prohibiting schools from calling certain students by their preferred…

Halfway through the Iowa Legislative Session, Iowa Republicans—who hold large majorities in the House and Senate—have introduced more than 30 bills that target Iowa’s LGBTQ community with a specific focus on trans children. Some of the students who would be affected by the various bills have shown up at the Capitol and pleaded with Iowa…

As LGBTQ Iowans and supporters watched from the Iowa House gallery on Wednesday, most Republicans in that chamber signed off on a bill that strips parents of transgender and non-binary kids of the right to make healthcare decisions for their own children. The House voted 58-39 on a bill to prohibit gender-affirming care for anyone…

Following the passage of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ voucher bill, Iowa Republicans in the state house have honed in on homophobic bills that attack LGBTQ Iowans. Two of those bills came one step closer to becoming law on Tuesday. During a marathon day of debate, the Iowa Senate advanced a bill to deny gender-affirming care for…

An Iowa Republican senator introduced a piece of legislation Tuesday that would restrict the powers of the Iowa State Auditor’s office. SF 478 would “auditor of state shall not have access to the income tax returns of individuals, or to an individual’s name or residential address from a reportable disease report under section 139A.3, medical…

As funnel week comes to a close in the Iowa Legislature, a number of high-profile bills still have a chance to become law including Gov. Kim Reynolds’ education bill, book-banning bills, and a good number of the 20 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced. Here’s the status of some of those bills: [inline-ad id=0] Alive Gov. Kim Reynolds…

The lead sponsor of two bills that would outlaw gay marriage in Iowa—where it has been legal since 2009—told his Iowa House colleague his bills aren’t actually about banning gay marriage despite the language in the bills doing just that. Starting Line acquired a copy of an email Rep. Brad Sherman (R-Williamsburg) sent from his…

Kimberly Reicks, a well-known Iowa right-wing activist and Gov. Kim Reynolds’ former unofficial education policy advisor, has filed a bizarre lawsuit against the Ankeny School District in the “Kimberly Reicks Court” and seeks $87,035,000 in damages, according to the documents filed in Mahaska County. Ankeny is located in Polk County. Reicks, part of the “Iowa…

A bill circulating through the Iowa Senate would officially eliminate all forms of slavery in Iowa. Although Iowa entered the union as a “free state” in the waning days of American chattel slavery, the Iowa Constitution still allows for the enslavement of people as a punishment for crimes.  Senate Study Bill 1144 proposes an amendment…

A new bill introduced in the Iowa Senate to ban anyone under the age of 18 from attending a drag show may also inadvertently ban kids from seeing some plays and musicals, pro wrestling events, the circus, or other live activities involving costumes and makeup. Introduced by Sen. Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville), SF 348 bars youth…