Category Archives: Iowa Legislature

Where The Real Damage Gets Done

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Dave Bradley

Charlie Pierce of Esquire magazine wrote a great, short piece on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) last week. I will quote the opening paragraph here and ask that you click on the highlighted link above to read the rest and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALEC, Iowa Legislature | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Public Interest Held Hostage By Iowa GOP; Will Dems Be Forced To Pay Ransom?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by bfialauratwing

[Note from BFIA:  For background information on how we got here click on the links below.  House Speaker Kraig Paulsen (R- HD 67 – Hiawatha) – a lawyer to trucking company CRST International – axed all funding for both passenger … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Legislature | Tagged , | Comments Off on Public Interest Held Hostage By Iowa GOP; Will Dems Be Forced To Pay Ransom?

Passenger Rail and Eminent Domain Get Married

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Paul Deaton

What will it take for the Iowa House to get a bill considered on the floor of the Iowa Senate? Representatives Dave Jacoby and Bobby Kaufmann are hoping that pairing a Senate Democratic priority— funding passenger rail in order to … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Legislature | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Passenger Rail and Eminent Domain Get Married

Paulsen Inexplicably Slashes Funding For Iowa Passenger And Freight Rail

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Trish Nelson

From our inbox: A note from PIRG: House Speaker Kraig Paulsen – a lawyer to trucking company CRST International – is axing all funding for both passenger rail and freight rail in Iowa. We can’t let that happen. Take action … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Legislature | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Paulsen Inexplicably Slashes Funding For Iowa Passenger And Freight Rail

The Courtney Report

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Dave Bradley

SESSION WON’T END UNTIL THE PEOPLE’S WORK IS FINISHED While I hope the 2013 legislative session wraps up soon, I won’t vote to adjourn until Iowa has a balanced state budget that will help strengthen and grow our middle class. … Continue reading →

Posted in Courtney, Courtney Report, Iowa Legislature, medicaid expansion | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Courtney Report

Iowa Legislature 2013 Budget Deal Must Include Tax Cut For Working Families

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Trish Nelson

Ordinary Iowan Melodie Webb of Ankeny and Senator Joe Bolkcom address the need for the legislature to approve  the Earned Income Tax Credit this session.  “Melodie tells a story that “could be told by thousands of Iowans.”  When it comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Legislature | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Why Is It So Hard To Find Out Which Iowa Legislators Are ALEC Members?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Trish Nelson

From ProgressIowa Rep. Greg Forristall Ignores Public Records Request, Claims All Iowa Legislators are ALEC Members Des Moines, Iowa — Rep. Greg Forristall ignored a request to release information about the May 2-3 meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council … Continue reading →

Posted in ALEC, Iowa Legislature | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Biggest Reason For Medicaid Expansion

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Dave Bradley

There are some legislators in Iowa that seem to think that they are invulnerable to whatever sickness or illness that may be unleashed on the populace. As long as they have access to medical aid they will be OK. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care & Medicare, Iowa Legislature, medicaid expansion | Comments Off on The Biggest Reason For Medicaid Expansion

Senator Dennis Guth Goes On Anti-Gay Tirade

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Trish Nelson

[Note from BFIA:  We don’t know about you, but we’ve had just about enough of the stupid party. Please respond to this Action Alert from OneIowa.] Today at the beginning of the Iowa Senate workday, Senator Dennis Guth of Klemme … Continue reading →

Posted in Calls to Action, civil rights, GLBT, Iowa Legislature | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Courtney Report

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Dave Bradley

Editor’s note: Senator Courtney has been out of action with some medical problems. We are quite happy he is back to work. I talked with university students on April 2 about the importance of affordable, high-quality public universities to Iowa. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Iowa Legislature, Jobs, middle-class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Courtney Report