“This year I’m confident that no tax cut will pass the Senate Ways and Means Committee before the working families tax cut is passed for the third time by the Senate, is passed for the third time by the House, and finally signed into law by Governor Branstad.”
On February 7, the Iowa Senate approved a four percent increase in basic state aid to Iowa’s K12 school districts across Iowa. These dollars help pay salaries, buy textbooks, fuel school buses, and help avoid large class sizes.
Read the full story >>Last Thursday, Senate Democrats invited Julie Heck of Pleasantville — a single mother of three — to speak at a statehouse news conference to tout the tax break that’s geared toward low-income Iowans.
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“Iowans have to be asking themselves, ‘Why in the world is Governor Branstad making funding of Iowa’s community schools less predictable, less sustainable, and less stable, when his message was exactly the opposite just a year ago?’ Senate Education Committee chair Herman Quirmbach of Ames
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On January 21, Ways and Means Chair Joe Bolkcom hosting a meeting of more than 90 people to discuss ideas on reforming TIF.
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This week the Iowa Senate approved $8.5 million in additional funding for the Iowa Department of Corrections. The money will address urgent needs at prisons and community-based corrections facilities across the state. At issue are staff shortages that could threaten public safety, as well as the safety of prisoners and correction officers. The legislation now [...]
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Iowa schoolchildren will soon see more fruit and vegetables and less fat in their school lunches, thanks to new U.S. Department of Agriculture standards to improve nutrition and reduce childhood obesity. This is the first overhaul of the school lunch program in more than 15 years. The result will be healthier breakfasts, lunches and after-school [...]
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