Passing on these items from CCI‘s weekly organizing letter.

Livestream oral argument on Iowa’s book ban in Appellate Court

Governor Reynolds’ draconian book ban (Senate File 496), currently blocked by a federal judge, will be heard in an appellate court in Minnesota, June 11.

Attorney General Brenna Bird’s office will likely assert that the state government holds absolute authority when it comes to what children can or cannot read in school libraries. CCI, and countless other everyday Iowans reject this notion and embrace the freedom to read and learn.

SF 496 is the sixth case to be heard, with proceedings beginning at 9am on June 11.The public can livestream oral argument here: https://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/news/oral-argument-%E2%80%93-june-10-14-2024-public-access-number

Senator Grassley – stand with independent beef producers!

US Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) began circulating this Joint Senate letter on Friday urging the Senate Ag Committee to include Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (MCOOL) in the 2024 Farm Bill. MCOOL would help level the playing field for independent beef producers; we know when consumers know where their food is raised, they will choose to support America’s independent family farmers.

Senator Grassley needs to sign onto this letter; he was a champion of COOL when it was first included in the 2002 Farm Bill. But he’s backed down big time because of corporate pressure. Grassley needs to get back to being tough on competition issues, and signing onto the letter is one way he can go to bat for independent family farmers.

The letter will be sent Thursday, June 13, so we need to call Senator Grassley’s office TODAY. Please call Grassley’s office at (202) 224-3744 and urge him to contact Senator Rounds’s office and sign onto the letter.

Reminder: June 27 Safe Drinking Water Act webinar

Iowa CCI has signed onto a legal petition with the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take emergency action to protect our water.

After legal action from local groups last year, the EPA investigated Minnesota’s Karst Terrain and determined that action was needed to protect public health due to nitrates in the drinking water.

Join us on June 27 at 6:30PM to to learn more about this legal petition and discuss ways to get involved in the fight for clean water. RSVP to join us here!

Dubuque moves on community-owned housing

The City of Dubuque submitted an application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a grant to purchase two mobile home parks and create a community land trust.

In recent years, residents of Table Mound and Terrace Heights mobile home parks have seen their lot rent more than doubled while basic maintenance was neglected and infrastructure improvements ignored. HUD can help stop this bleeding.

But it’s not a done deal, and that’s where you come in. Please sign our petition to HUD encouraging them to approve Dubuque’s application. We want to show HUD that Iowans from all across the state support this and know what benefits Dubuque can benefit other communities in our state.