In my previous column I talked about a meeting between a delegation from Toledo and the governor's office regarding the Iowa Juvenile Home (IJH). That meeting occurred the afternoon of Friday, November 15 at the capitol. The delegation included attorney Jim Roan, President of the State Bank of ...
I am not giving up on the Toledo facility, its employees and the children who live there," State Senator Steve Sodders of State Center said..Sodders has sent a letter to Governor Branstad asking him to bring together legislative leaders and other interested parties before deciding next steps ...
State Senators Steve Sodders of State Center (left) and Rich Taylor of Mount Pleasant (middle) listen closely as Orville Randolph, president of the all-volunteer Bennett Ambulance Service (right), addresses the Iowa Legislature's Emergency Medical Services Study Committee at the Iowa ...
Rep. Dean Fisher (R-Garwin) recently donated $1,000 of his unused legislative expenses to the Garwin Volunteer Fire Department. Accepting the donation from Fisher is Garwin Fire Chief Rick Raymond (left). To date, Rep. Fisher has donated a total of $6,500 to several Volunteer Fire Departments ...
The Iowa Department of Revenue and local governments are rolling out the new Business Property Tax Credit the Legislature approved this year (Senate File 295).Commercial property owners can take advantage of the Business Property Tax Credit at www.iowa.gov/tax/locgov/13PTReform.html. There ...
Iowa is a national leader when it comes to health insurance coverage for our citizens. We worked successfully in recent years to ensure all Iowa kids can see a doctor when they need to. Now we're making sure every Iowa adult also has access to affordable health care.This was a top priority ...
On Saturday, Sept. 7, my colleagues and I had the chance to spend a day at Camp Dodge, our Iowa Army National Guard base in Johnston. This was my first visit to Camp Dodge. I was overwhelmed with the size and scope of this facility. It covers 4,500 acres and has 281 buildings. Camp Dodge is ...
Iowa is a pretty safe place. We rank among the 10 most peaceful states in America in the 2012 U.S. Peace Index report, which looks at homicide, violent crime, policing and prison rates.We also fare well when it comes to accidents. According to the Trust for America's Health, Iowa has the 12th ...
Iowa remains one of the most affordable places to live and do business, and that success is reflected in one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.So what can we do to keep Iowa's economy growing? Business leaders say improving worker training tops the list. When Iowa employers can't ...
Iowa's growing economy has allowed us to cut taxes while balancing the state budget and protecting local services and schools.The changes we made during the 2013 session will put more money in the pockets of middle-class Iowans and make it easier for businesses to invest and grow. We approved ...