Week FiveThere are frequent pleasant surprises in the capitol. On Monday morning shortly after eight, with only four people in the chamber, we heard the sounds of a choir singing God Bless America wafting in. We followed it out to the Rotunda and found a high school choir singing from the floor ...
Week FourWeek four was highlighted by the Condition of the Guard speech from Major General Orr, commander of the Iowa National Guard. General Orr's speech focused on how the Iowa National Guard has served this state for 175 years, originating in 1839 as protectors of fellow settlers before ...
In an effort to help more Iowa employers and workers recover from the national recession, we must increase access to high-quality Internet services across the state.Iowa ranks 11th out of 12 Midwestern states in the TechNet State Broadband Index, which ranks states based on how many households ...
A new approach to keeping families together is seeing success in Iowa.Family Treatment Courts work with community professionals to help Iowans struggling with substance abuse or other problems that put them at risk of losing their parental rights. Legislators heard about the good work of Family ...
Representative Dean Fisher (R-Garwin) has announced he will seek re-election to the Iowa House. Fisher, who is in his first term, represents all of Tama County and portions of Marshall and Black Hawk Counties.During his tenure in the House, Fisher has worked to reduce Iowans' taxes, rein in ...
The Iowa State Sheriffs' and Deputies' Association (ISSDA) presented its annual ISSDA GOLD STAR Awards for excellence in leadership on public safety and law enforcement issues in Iowa in December.The GOLD STAR Awards are given to no more than five individuals each year who, through their public ...
The 2014 Legislative Session is underway with the first week under our belts. I am looking forward to serving our district and getting things done to help Iowa prosper. The Governor's Condition of the State address and the Chief Justice's Condition of the Judiciary is behind us and we are busy ...
As most have heard, Governor Branstad has announced that he will close the Iowa Juvenile Home (IJH) in Toledo on January 16, sending the remaining children in the home into new facilities and laying off 93 employees. I disagree greatly with this decision. This decision comes after months of ...
We think of education as the great equalizer, and we count on our schools to give every child a fair shot at success as an adult.Unfortunately, some kids face bigger challenges in school than their classmates do because their families are struggling to make ends meet. The number of Iowa kids ...
State Representative Dean Fisher (R-Garwin) presents a $ 1,000 check to Tama Fire Chief Paul Ellenbecker to benefit the fire department. The money is part of Fisher's unused legislative expenses. The money will be used for new equipment. To date, Rep. Fisher has donated more than $9,000 to a ...