Opinions
88th General
Assembly:
My Mondays typically start off the same during session: get up and go through the usual morning routine of loading the car for the week, wish my wife and kids a good week, make my coffee and out the door I go for the two and a half hour commute to the Capitol. But this week...
A sweeping election bill that shrinks Iowa’s absentee voting window and introduces new penalties for election misconduct was headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.
The House passed the bill, Senate File 413, by a 57-37 vote. The Senate voted 30-18 to pass an identical bill.
Reynolds is expected to...
Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting
What's wrong?
Nothing and everything. I'm a born worrier.
Well, you were born at the right time.
Driving by Bruce's drive
I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts occur to me. We weren't cameras with legs in those days....
WEEK SIX
In my last newsletter I talked about our school funding bill that passed the House and the ongoing discussions about supplemental school funding. Thursday afternoon the House passed a bill for an additional $27.2 million for schools offering in-person learning. This bill will help...
88th General
Assembly:
This was the sixth week of the legislative session, and the Senate passed several bills during the week, including several I managed on the floor. One of these was Senate File 364. It conforms state income tax code to the most recent federal tax change, allowing the...
Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting
Twenty below zero temperatures are one of those things that make memories.
I'll remember my eyelids freezing open.
I didn't say they'd be good memories.
Driving by Bruce's drive
I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts...
Echoes from the
Loafers' Club Meeting
I had a chance to win $500 on a radio show. They asked me how many strings a clarinet has. I guessed five.
That was wrong.
I know. I should have said four.
Driving by Bruce's drive
I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive,...
Week Five
This week was again filled with committee meetings and floor debate. Wednesday evening, we debated and passed 25 bills with bipartisan support. The total vote on the 25 bills was 2,298 to 43. Six pieces of legislation addressed the child care shortage I discussed in my last newsletter...
88th General
Assembly:
It was another busy week at the Capitol. This week was full of subcommittee meetings, committee meetings and some debate.
I mentioned last week that I had a forum in New Hampton on Saturday. We had a great discussion on many topics, including window tint, tenure in...
Week Four
This week the focus was on subcommittee meetings, amending bills and passing bills out of committees. Floor debate this week consisted of several small technical bills and an education bill that eliminates voluntary diversity plans. Only a handful of schools in our state have these...