We need information that will help us cope with the 2024 political campaigns and facilitate Democratic wins. Barbara McQuade’s new book has the potential to do that.
McQuade is a law school professor and legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. A former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, she was appointed the first female in that position by President Obama. She possesses legal bona fides. She also co-hosts a podcast called Sisters In Law.
She is one of several combination authors/lawyers/talking heads/podcasters I follow. Her new book, Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America, comes at a perfect time for this presidential election year. It is relevant, engaging, and necessary. What is it about?
In part, the book is an explainer. McQuade pulls commonly known information from the media ecosphere and relates it to the concept of disinformation, demonstrating the potential and real consequences for American Democracy. She presents a coherent narrative that includes how disinformers gain power, disinformation tactics, why disinformation works, the danger of emerging technologies, and more. For those parts of the book alone it is worth reading.
What I found most engaging was the chapter “We Alone Can Fix It: Proposed Solutions.” Dealing with disinformation and misinformation can be daunting. McQuade compares this task to the moon shot during the Kennedy administration and wrote:
The tandem threats of authoritarianism and disinformation can seem overwhelming, but we as a nation have solved big problems before. The stakes for democracy are simply too high to ignore them or surrender to despair. Unless we take action, democracy in the Unites States seems destined to fail, and our sovereignty as citizens will perish with it.
Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America by Barbara McQuade, page 249.
In this chapter, McQuade turns from describing the problems with disinformation to potential solutions. Free speech protections are not absolute in the United States, she said. We should be seeking regulatory solutions to misinformation and disinformation rather than simply banning content. She asserted this can be done without implicating censorship concerns. That may seem like a difficult needle to thread, yet it is the approach taken by other western governments like Germany and the European Union.
Another idea is related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. I have frequently bemoaned loss of enforcement of the Fairness Doctrine under President Reagan, yet there may be a different solution. “Making online media companies legally responsible for the content on their platforms would force them to remove posts that endanger the public,” McQuade wrote. This issue is at the heart of the Supreme Court case Murthy v. Missouri for which the high court heard oral arguments on March 18. This approach is not without problems. A discussion is needed to discover a way to balance stripping some protections from legal liability while continuing to make reforms in how online content is regulated. It doesn’t have to be a free-for-all. My sense is the high court will decide this case on narrow grounds and throw it to the legislative branch of government to be addressed. The days of having discussions like these at the Supreme Court, as was done in deciding Roe v. Wade, are over with the Roberts Court.
My advice? Secure a copy of the book, by buying it or asking your public library to get a copy, and read it. I’m missing some things in a short book review, but believe me, you are going to want it all from Barbara McQuade.
I’m supposed to be taking it easy. When I retired during the coronavirus pandemic I knew outside activities would wind down as I age. I still care about our politics, yet in a different way from before the pandemic.
It began April 28, 2020 when I gave up a part-time job at the home, farm, and auto supply store. I also left work at a friend’s farm, and at the orchard. I gave up my veterans group and all my volunteer board memberships. The only activities remaining are this blog (which I’ll keep for now), writing letters to the editors of newspapers, and politics. I’d prefer to dump politics as an active concern, yet it doesn’t seem possible because it runs in my blood.
My cohort of local political activists is diminished through deaths, infirmities, aging, and people moving away. I am reluctant to engage my nonagenarian friends who have been mainstays in campaigns. Octogenarians get similar consideration. Younger people moving into our precinct lean conservative. Republican candidates won federal and statewide campaigns here beginning in 2016. Democratic politics as I have been practicing it since 1987 is fading away.
I continue to do things.
A friend returned from a trip to Thailand and we had a driveway conversation about it. We first worked together on a political campaign in 2004, so I’ve known them 20 years. We looked at photos and videos on a handheld device. One video had them swimming in a river with a five-year-old elephant. It was good to catch up.
The reason for the reunion was to collect signatures on an Iowa House candidate’s nominating petition. We have been working together so long, we speak to each other in shorthand about politics. Between us, on short notice, we collected 11 signatures. The candidate had more than the 50 required by the Secretary of State.
Later that day, another friend stopped by to pick up the petitions and deliver them to the candidate. We had a long conversation in the driveway. I know his father and the three of us all worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Those were heady times. I wrote a post about this in 2008. We talked about the House District and who we might pull in to work on the campaign. This cycle, I plan to be a worker bee, not an organizer. I think people have heard just about enough from me. There is interest in doing better in the new district.
Driveway conversations don’t occur in a vacuum. If anything, they generate more interest and activities. Now that the filing deadline for state and federal offices passed, there is a sense the campaign has begun. It truly has and that means doing more things. For example, this week there was an informal political meet up in our House District and today is the county convention. This was a lot more talking than I have done in a very long time. Partly I welcome it. Partly, I am wary of it. The reasons are complicated.
The 2020 campaign was a bitch because of the coronavirus. The Sunday before the general election a neighbor held an event for Rita Hart who was running for the Congressional seat Dave Loebsack left open after retirement. She was standing right next to me and I didn’t recognize her. We were both wearing face masks. As we talked, it didn’t occur to me she was the candidate. That was one more wacky thing during the coronavirus campaign. The pandemic changed campaign operations dramatically. In a sense, there is no going back to the pre-pandemic methods. Hart lost in a close race.
It is early in the 2024 campaign, so we’ll see how Democrats roll. Today’s county convention should be a bellwether. As long as I don’t get too far from our driveway, I keep my wits about me. When I do leave for an in real life event, my only imperative is to recruit volunteers so we stand a chance to turn Republicans out of office in our district and beyond. Also, I continue to hear the siren song of Democratic politics.
Rep. Dave Jacoby (D-Coralville), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee was a guest on the program this week alongside Sen. Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs), chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
I consider it breaking news that Iowa Press had a Democrat on as a guest. It would be only the third time this year we have seen a Democrat on the program. Republicans however, have been guests five times. And for four of those five Republican appearances, they were the only guest on the program. This week was the first time this year a Republican had to share time with a Democrat. Only twice in 2024 has a Democrat been the only guest on the show, Pam Jochum and Jennifer Konfrst, Senate and House minority leaders, respectively. As I have written previously, last year the Democrat-Republican split was heavily lopsided, favoring Rs over Ds 17-9.
Also, when was the last appearance by the only elected state wide Democrat, Rob Sand, who in other breaking news, according to the latest Iowa poll is viewed more favorably than Republican electeds. According to my review of programming, Rob Sand has not made an appearance on the show since 2022.
As Kay Henderson would say when asking a Democrat a question: Why?
Is the state auditor being ostracized by Iowa Press? Did the governor give Iowa Press the old “wouldn’t want to see anything happen to your nice little program?”
Maybe Reynolds wasn’t too happy about this? Just asking a question!
Click hear for a complete list of Democratic candidates for Iowa House, Iowa Senate and congress. Find the candidate in your district and let’s get to work putting an end to the MAGA-Republican trifecta in November.
And now a word from Jennifer Konfrst, House Democratic leader –
House Republicans are shaking in their boots. House Democrats have recruited 75 amazing candidates to run for the Iowa House in 2024 – which, you guessed it – is more than House Republicans have been able to do even with their war chest of out-of-state money.
We have 75 hardworking Iowans in communities all across the state who have decided to say enough is enough. They know that House Republicans have gone too far. They have seen the effects on their communities. They know that something needs to change, and they are DOING something about it.
We have teachers, moms, LGTBQ+ advocates, AEA employees, union brothers and sisters, healthcare workers, small business owners, police officers, farmers, coaches, and MORE who are dedicated to making Iowa better. These Iowans are tired of words, they are taking ACTION for their communities.
I’ve written about Ryan Melton’s campaign for congress here before and posted his newsletters. Correct me if I’m wrong but as far as I can tell, Melton is the only Democrat running for congress in Iowa that sends out an informative, educational newsletter. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve seen another newsletter from the other candidates. The only thing I see from the others are social media posts at typically Democratic events – I hope they are getting outside their comfort zones – and of course the frequent money-ask emails which there is absolutely no value in opening, and for those who can afford them, paid ads. Which is a real shame. A political campaign should educate voters.
Ryan Melton’s campaign newsletter is one of the few political emails I receive that I am actually interested in opening to see what he has to say. It’s not that he doesn’t ask for donations. He does, but he first provides something of value describing what he’s hearing from voters and talking about his values and priorities. It’s not just a robo-mail offering some scary scenario then “if you want to prevent this donate to my campaign.”
Don’t get me wrong, I like all the Democratic congressional candidates. I want them all to win and have donated to them and will of course vote for Bohannan whose district I live in. I’m just saying when the only thing you see from the candidates is a mass email asking for money or a paid ad or social media post likely posted by a staffer, you don’t feel like you’re getting to know the person and it kind of feels like a disconnect. Just for the record, I do make it a practice to like and share everything the Democrats post wherever I see it.
I do realize IA-04 is very red and is an uphill battle for a Democrat. But Ryan Melton is working hard making the progressive case to voters in the district and it makes sense for Democrats to support his campaign.
Here is this week’s newsletter from candidate Ryan Melton. He obviously writes it himself and each newsletter ends with an invitation to volunteer as well as a donation request, the very last thing. This week he also includes a link to a panel discussion he was on, the nationally syndicated Arnie Arnesen show. you can click to listen below. If you would like to sign up for his newsletter, scroll down to a link to his email.
As he has pointed out, he’s not being told what his talking points should be. His words are his own. Authenticity is a good thing.
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This is Ryan Melton, Democrat running for the U.S. House in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. During my 2024 campaign, I’ll send you a weekly email to keep you in the loop while not overwhelming your inbox. Typically, the newsletter will be a review from the week prior: Where we went, what issues of note were on the minds of those I met with, where we’ll be in the next week, etc.
Where we went and what people were concerned about:
Last week was my first light week schedule-wise in quite some time. On Monday, I turned in our 2200+ signatures to get on the ballot as the only Democratic candidate running in the 4th Congressional District after months of hard work alongside my amazing volunteers who helped gather signatures with me. I decided then to take the weekend to visit my grandparents in Nebraska that I hadn’t seen in quite some time, and I’m grateful I did. Before I left though, I was on Arnie Arensen’s nationally syndicated radio program, which was recorded Friday and aired today. I’ll post the link below in the media/links section.
Last week on the campaign trail, the hot button issues folks cared about the most were:
The number one issue that came up last week was poverty. I’m a believer that mitigating and. in an ideal world, eliminating poverty is a worthwhile goal. I also think we have the resources in our nation of plenty to make significant strides here if there was the political will to do so. I firmly believe we should raise the federal minimum wage to an eventual living wage, we should strengthen labor unions, and we should create a tax system in which the wealthy pay their fair share.
However, when we have over 30 million people in poverty in the U.S., many of them children, when we have more people working harder for less even as the productivity levels of our workers have climbed over the years, when we have seen such a dramatic increase in the wealth gap nationally as over half the nation struggles paycheck-to-paycheck, it is clear that those in power in legislatures across the country have decided to accept poverty and to amplify it. This is true despite the fact that notable reductions in poverty would result in notable reductions in baseline stress and desperation, which we know would lead to reduced health care costs, substance abuse, crime, etc. We should reduce poverty just because it’s the right thing to do, but it would create a better society as well.
On my socials this week in response to my views, I heard from some that those in poverty are lazy, that they deserve their lot, that increasing wages would automatically lead to inflation so we can’t do that, and that social safety net programs marry people to those programs and keep them in poverty. I grew up in poverty, surrounded by people who worked hard at their full time jobs and yet still had to receive some government assistance because they weren’t paid enough, who certainly weren’t lazy. I’d argue also that an argument that increased wages automatically means inflation is actually an argument critical of the status quo, because I firmly believe we shouldn’t have a baseline where corporate power is so absolute that we can’t boost tens of millions out of poverty for fear that corporations will then notably increase their prices. Finally, growing up in my poverty -stricken neighborhood in Omaha, no one was content. No one wanted to remain in that struggle, and getting some food assistance benefits didn’t change that. If anything, those food stamps helped give folks the small boost they needed to put themselves in a stronger financial position.
I will continue to focus on highlighting and mitigating poverty throughout this campaign.
Let’s keep fighting the good fight together.
Our schedule for this week:
This weekend, I’ll be hitting county conventions in Story, Hamilton, and Marshall counties, speaking at each one, and will be speaking with my friends Penny Vossler and Margaret Liston, state house and state senate candidates respectively, in Boone at the Dutch Oven Bakery at 1 pm Saturday.
We again are rejecting all Corporate PAC money, so we really rely on, and are extremely grateful for your support. We’ll spend your donations on ways to expand our reach to as many voters as possible, including:
-Post cards and other mailers and postage
-Hand out cards for events
-Text messaging campaigns
-Transportation costs for events and door knocking
-Campaign website costs
-Radio ads, Social Media Ads, and (hopefully) TV ads
-Our campaign managers
Finally, if you have anyone else in mind that would like to be added to our email list or who would be interested in volunteering, let us know at melton4iowa@gmail.com!
Our friend Ed Flaherty wrote the following letter which has been published in The Gazette, Dubuque Telegraph, and Storm Lake Times. It was signed by 27 members of Veterans For Peace #161 and is posted here with permission.
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Veterans For Peace is an organization of former soldiers and allies who know too well the costs of war – the obvious, visible wounds; the unseen wounds that curse us and our families for generations, and the cost to society of maintaining a military larger than the next seven nations combined. Bitter experience taught us that war is insanity and suffering. We call for an immediate cease-fire, release of prisoners and hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian aid for Gaza.
We oppose all targeting of civilians. We deplore Israel’s crushing response to the unjustifiable Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. We also recognize this breach of peace did not start on October 7. It has gone on for decades. Over $150 billion of our tax dollars have provided Israel unlimited weaponry, and diplomatic cover has allowed it to expand its occupation such that 17 years ago former President Jimmy Carter clearly labeled it apartheid.
Our government fans the flames beneath the pressure cooker of occupation and our taxes make us complicit. We should not be shocked at a violent response after Palestinian homes are destroyed to make way for Israeli “settlers” and Gaza is locked down, year after year, by a draconian air, sea and land blockade. This cycle of violence, coupled with the reality that war is an uncontrollable force with its own agency and purposes, results in the terrors we witness.
Neither side has a military path to victory. We support a ceasefire, release of prisoners and hostages from all sides, and unimpeded humanitarian aid to Gaza. Only a political process will dismantle the apartheid system, answer the grievances of the Palestinian people, create a democratic system that provides rights for all the people of Israel and Palestine, and finally bring lasting security and peace. Without that political process, the cycle of violence will magnify, dooming more generations of Israelis and Palestinians.
Put aside, for a moment, the hideous inhumanities dealt to Jews and Palestinians over the past days, weeks, years, and decades. Focus on the suffering of today, with over 30,000 Gazans killed, with 85% of the population displaced, with starvation and disease rampant. We must, as Pope Francis said on Dec. 25, deplore “the appalling harvest of innocent civilians.” Allow your human sensibilities to be outraged as US planes, bombs and shells, gifts from the US taxpayer to Israel, are being used to massacre civilians. Then proceed to do everything you can to end hate and wage peace here at home. A place to start is to go to whitehouse.gov, scroll to the bottom where it says “contact,” and send your message to President Biden.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate! It is hard to celebrate anything these days with all the Republican fear-mongering. In any case, Saint Patrick’s efforts to convert the Pagan Irish does not rank very highly in the life of this descendant of people who lived in North America since before the United States was a thing.
Republicans cannot help themselves about the border and immigration. After President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address, Governor Kim Reynolds released a statement that included, “Three years of Joe Biden has led to an open border…” among other things. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks says in a recent social media advertisement, “The crisis at our southern border poses a serious threat to our national security.” My Republican State Senator Dawn Driscoll gave the border a mention in her most recent newsletter, saying, “Every state is a border state now.” She explained,
Immigration reform remains a critical issue that concerns many across our nation, highlighting the urgent need for effective solutions to address the challenges at our borders. These challenges have led to increased human trafficking, the spread of illegal drugs, and other crimes, affecting communities far beyond those directly on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Driscoll Dispatch by Senator Dawn Driscoll, March 8, 2024.
Scary. Driscoll is not as scary as my State Representative Brad Sherman who was working on legislation titled, “A Resolution affirming the state of Iowa’s support for the state of Texas and condemning the federal government’s immigration policies.” What a waste of time.
To counter Republican claims, the U.S. Congress, in which most responsibility for immigration reform lies, has done little to address it since the Reagan era. They recently negotiated a bipartisan immigration reform bill that was rejected out of hand by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Which is it? Open border, or lack of Republican political will to do something meaningful about it? Biden clearly pushed the Congress to do something about the southern border, and I’d wager he is not done.
Art Cullen pointed out in his Feb. 12, 2019 column in the Washington Post, “Here in Storm Lake, Iowa, where the population is about 15,000 and unemployment is under 2 percent, Asians and Africans and Latinos are our lifeline. The only threat they pose to us is if they weren’t here.” Rural Iowa needs immigrants, he said.
The point of Republicans like Governor Reynolds is that immigrants are scary, not that we should do anything about the so-called “open border.” The duplicitous, political nature of Republican positioning is enough to make a person’s head spin. I may have to find a glass of green beer today and have some me time. Even so, I doubt that will make them stop.
We need to vote Republicans out of office at every level. Not only to work on real solutions to the immigration problem, but for everything else they do to stir up irrational fear before the November election. In this, I may have discovered why Americans favor an alcoholic drink on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Katie Porter in an Aug. 10, 2020 advertisement Photo Credit – Progress Iowa
I was pulling for Barbara Lee to win the March 5 California primary to replace the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. I followed Lee diligently and it looked like she had a chance. She was doing the work. At the same time, I know how to read polls and saw Democrat Adam Schiff was the clear leader with Republican Steve Garvey and Democrat Katie Porter behind. Lee didn’t make the top three, although she would have been a great U.S. Senator.
In California, all candidates for voter-nominated offices are listed on one ballot and only the top two vote-getters in the primary election – regardless of party preference – move on to the general election, according to the California Secretary of State.
Team Schiff was accused of sneaky tricks during the campaign. As the Washington Post put it, “Rep. Adam Schiff and his allies are spending $11 million in the all-party primary to try to elevate a GOP candidate and box out Rep. Katie Porter from the general election.” The premise was Garvey would be easier for Schiff to beat in the general election. Is this illegal? No. Katie Porter did not care for it one bit, calling the practice “cynical.” She followed in suit, spending half a million dollars to promote another Republican candidate, but it was too little, too late.
Schiff and Garvey advanced to the general election.
Barbara Lee acknowledged the impact of money being spent in this campaign and made multiple statements to the press on election day, saying we need public elections to take the money out of politics. She then skipped her campaign watch party, boarded a plane, and flew to Washington, D.C. to get back to work. We are fortunate to have people like Lee in the Congress.
Katie Porter made a big splash after the votes were counted. Her remarks to supporters are worth watching:
This is the Katie Porter Iowans have come to know. What people picked up on was her later statement about “(the) onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” When she suggested the election was rigged, some felt she had gone full MAGA the way Trumpies denied the results of the 2020 election for president. A media brouhaha ensued. Poppycock, I say!
Katie Porter would agree with Barbara Lee, and most progressives, we need to get special interest money out of politics. Indirectly, that was her point. Media personalities never miss an opportunity to tear down progressives and the “rigged” comment was their impetus to pile on. Porter seems likely to finish her Congressional term and after that, who knows. If she has the smarts and commitment I believe she does, we haven’t heard the last from Katie Porter.
Saw this story in the Des Moines Register and thought I would share in order to get the word out. Another reason why our profit based health care system makes no sense. Lack of transparency as far as hidden facilities fees is a problem with Iowa’s largest health care providers.
“He went to get medication for ADHD. MercyOne charged him nearly $1,500 in facility fees.”
“In recent years, no one in the Iowa Legislature has taken any steps to limit or eliminate facility fees, or to make them more transparent to health care consumers, she said.”
So there’s that. Republicans have better things to do such as stir up the culture wars.
In other news, March Madness is upon us and I’m not talking about basketball. Republicans think guns in schools are a great idea in addition to many other follies such as deregulating CAFOs, ditching AEAs, trampling on the rights of women and minorities, ignoring voters’ wishes. The Iowa legislature’s second funnel week coming to a close has hopefully limited some bad Republican bills. Here’s Pat Grassley not answering questions from the Iowa press. He said they were “having conversations” thirteen times in 5 minutes by my count.
Below is an abbreviated list of bills that survived and died as posted in the Iowa Capital Dispatch:
What survived:
AEAs: Both the House and Senate’s proposals making changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies – the state special education providers as well as other general education and media services – were placed on the “unfinished business” calendar in both chambers. Reynolds named as a top priority her proposal allowing school districts to work with other providers or hiring their own staff to meet special education and other school needs.
Extracurricular activities open to private school students: House File 2467 would allow private-school students to participate in extracurricular activities at a public school, including sports teams, if the private school does not offer those activities. The parents of the student would be responsible for any fees associated with the activity.
Fetal development videos: The Senate Education Committee approved an amended version of House File 2617 Thursday. The bill would require schools to show students in grades 7-12 videos and graphics on fetal development from fertilization to birth in human growth and development and health classes. The amendment removed a reference to the “Meet Baby Olivia” video, produced by an anti-abortion group, which advocates with medical organizations and reproductive freedom groups said depicts inaccurate medical information and pushes a political, anti-abortion agenda.
Grooming, teacher discipline: Under House File 2487, school districts would be required to report to a state board if they take disciplinary action against licensed employees for “grooming” or abusing a student.
State supplemental aid: Iowa House lawmakers approved a 3% increase to the state’s per-pupil aid for K-12 schools in February, above the 2.5% rate proposed in Reynolds’ budget. The Senate’s version of the bill, Senate File 2258, is eligible for debate but does not have a target set for state supplemental aid. Lawmakers missed the self-imposed deadline for setting an SSA rate within 30 days of the governor releasing her proposed budget in early February — and Democrats criticized the lack of action by Senate Republicans to fund schools on Thursday, as schools are required to submit their budget proposals by March 15.
Postpartum Medicaid:Senate File 2251, a priority of the governor’s, would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for new mothers from 60 days to a year, while limiting eligibility to families with income at or below 215% of the federal poverty line. The bill passed the Senate Feb. 19 and its companion bill, House File 2583 is on unfinished business in the House.
Basic income programs: A bill banning local guaranteed income programs – specifically impacting the UpLift program in central Iowa – remains alive and available for Senate consideration. House File 2319 would also allow the state attorney general to bring local governments to court for not complying with a cease-and-desist letter about prohibited programs.
Boards and commissions: Lawmakers in the House and Senate advanced separate proposals on elimination or consolidation of some of Iowa’s boards and commissions based on recommendations made by the state Boards and Commissions Review Committee. While Senate File 2385 follows the recommendations closely, proposing the merging or cutting of 111 of Iowa’s 256 existing boards, House File 2574 had a narrower scope with 49 boards and commissions up for discussion. Both bills were placed on “unfinished business” calendars in the respective chambers.
Election law:House File 2610 would make several changes to election law in Iowa, including shortening the early voting window by requiring absentee ballots be received by county auditors by 5 p.m. the day before an election and requiring county election commissioners mail absentee ballots no earlier than 22 days before an election. The bill also bans ballot drop boxes and ranked-choice voting, in addition to adding measures limiting ballot challenges to federal candidates. The bill passed the House and was placed on the unfinished business calendar, attached to Senate File 2380.
Eminent domain:House File 2522 would allow those who are subject to pending eminent domain requests to petition a district court judge to decide whether the requests are proper, prior to a final ruling by the Iowa Utilities Board. The bill has not advanced but remains eligible in the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
Gender balance:Senate File 2096 would end the requirement that state boards and commissions include an equal number of men and women. The bill passed both chambers and moves next to the governor’s desk.
Storm water regulation: Senate File 455 would prohibit local regulations on stormwater runoff that are more restrictive than current flow rates based on return frequencies of five years. It also would prohibit local regulations related to topsoil preservation, compaction, placement or depth that are more restrictive than requirements set by the Department of Natural Resources and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
Arming school staff:House File 2586 allows school personnel who meet training requirements to receive a permit for carrying a firearm on school grounds. The bill encourages school districts with 8,000 or more students to employ a school resource officer or security officer at facilities with students in grades 9 through 12 — though school boards are able to opt out of the provision.
The bill also establishes a School Security Personnel Grant, administered through the Department of Education, that would provide schools with up to $50,000 in matching funds to put toward hiring police or security officers for schools. The bill also indemnifies school staff and districts from civil or criminal liability stemming from the use of “reasonable force” in the workplace.
A separate bill, House File 2652, would create a $3 million grant program for schools to purchase “infrastructure and equipment related to employee permits to carry weapons,” as well as providing schools up to $25,000 for firearm training and stipends for employees who go through trainings. The legislation passed the House Wednesday and remains eligible as an appropriations bill.
Firearm regulation: House File 2556 would allow a judge to assess monetary damages against individuals or political subdivisions that enact local firearm regulations that are stricter than the state’s.
Religious freedom:Senate File 2095, similar to a 1993 federal law, would provide a higher legal standard be used in cases where a person claims that a government action has infringed on their ability to freely practice a religion. Governments would be required to have a compelling interest, and be using the least restrictive means, to uphold an action that would “substantially burden” a person’s religious liberties. The bill has been approved by both chambers and moves next to the governor’s desk.
What died:
Livestock feedlots:Senate File 2371 would allow operators of open feedlots to dispose of manure under certain conditions if failing to do so risks contaminating the state’s waterways. An early draft of the bill permitted feedlot owners to spread manure on farm fields for long periods of time without state approval. The bill survived the first funnel but did not get approval by the whole Senate.
Citizenship proof for in-state tuition:House File 2320 would require students admitted to Iowa’s community colleges and state universities to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence in the U.S. to qualify for in-state tuition and fees.
Birth control:House File 2584 would allow pharmacists to dispense birth control from behind the pharmacy counter, with various check-ins and self-risk assessments with the patient, for a total of up to 27 months before the patient would be required to see a physician in order to continue the prescription. The bill, proposed by the governor, passed a House committee last month but advanced no further.
Defining ‘sex,’ sex-segregated spaces, birth certificates:House File 2389 proposed defining the terms “male” and “female” in Iowa Code on the basis of a person’s biological reproductive system, and requiring that birth certificates of transgender people list both their sex assigned at birth and after transitioning. The bill would also allow sex-segregated spaces, such as bathrooms, locker rooms and women’s shelters to exclude transgender people on the basis of their sex assigned at birth. The bill received a public hearing but did not advance to the House floor, and was not discussed in the Senate.
Unborn personhood: Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, chose not to bring House File 2575 for consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation, passed by the House, would raise penalties for the nonconsensual ending of a pregnancy while changing language on these crimes from references to the termination of a pregnancy to the “death of an unborn person.”
House Democrats argued during floor debate that the bill could put access to contraception and in vitro fertilization at risk, as unborn personhood language was cited in the Alabama Supreme Court case ruling that put IVF treatments at risk in the state. While Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, said the bill would not have an impact on IVF, Zaun told reporters that he tabled the bill because of potential “unintended consequences” related to IVF.
Private CPAs conducting state audits: A Senate proposal that would have allowed state agencies to hire outside Certified Public Accountants to conduct state audits instead of the state auditor was not brought for consideration by the House State Government Committee this week. Rep. Michael Bergan, R-Dorchester, said in a subcommittee meeting Tuesday that there were concerns about whether Senate File 2311 would result in a greater fiscal impact than intended.
Union recertification:Senate File 2374 would require the decertification of public employee bargaining units if the government employer fails to provide a list of eligible employees to the Public Employee Relations Board within 10 days of receiving written notice of intent to conduct a certification election. The bargaining unit or bargaining representative could avoid decertification by petitioning the court to compel the government to provide the employee list. The bill passed the Senate Workforce Committee but did not advance further.
— Kathie Obradovich, Jared Strong, Brooklyn Draisey and Clark Kauffman contributed to this report.
Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
Rep. Dave Jacoby (D-Coralville), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee was a guest on the program this week alongside Sen. Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs), chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Blog For Iowa 