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Editorials

Why we filed our ethics complaint against Rep. Dean Fisher

I went to the State Capitol on February 28 with two other Iowa CCI members to file an official ethics complaint against State Representative Dean Fisher (R-District 53), a member of the Iowa House. Fisher was a key player in helping Gov Kim Reynolds pass her private school voucher legislation ...

We must preserve property rights in rural Iowa

Iowa farmers have always been energy farmers. Throughout history, farmers have led the way on innovation and continuously found new ways to feed and fuel the world. Now, our farmers have the opportunity to help power the world in a way that creates energy independence and brings economic ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 29, 2024 Edition

Week 8 was marked by more intense floor debate as we work through some of the more impactful bills, particularly within the education arena. There are far too many to adequately discuss in this newsletter, but I’ll mention a few. House Republicans have been meeting with school ...

Voted PPEL would provide key funds for school infrastructure

On Tuesday, March 5, South Tama County Community School District residents will vote on a voted Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). As your superintendent, I urge you to know the facts. PPEL is a voter-approved levy that generates funds for infrastructure and equipment repairs, ...

A few points of clarification on PPEL

To our STC Community: Some of you have received postcards in the mail asking you to vote “NO” for the PPEL vote on March 5th. This was sent by an organization within the community but it may not accurately reflect the District’s circumstances. In an attempt to provide more accurate ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 22, 2024 Edition

This week was the beginning of debate in the House. We are prioritizing House bills that need to be sent over to the Senate before the next funnel date in March. On Tuesday the House passed a bill that I filed and floor managed on behalf of a constituent, House File 2328, by a party line vote ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 15, 2024 Edition

Last week was “Funnel Week”, wherein we must have all our individually filed bills through committee. Fortunately, I have been able to move the bills I need to through the process already, so my work this week was focused on the many other bills moving through the committees I sit on, which ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 8, 2024 Edition

The legislature is quickly approaching the “funnel” date of February 16 where individually filed bills need to be through the committee process in order to be eligible for floor debate. This week I floor managed through a subcommittee meeting and the full committee meeting HSB 636, that ...

Sweeney from the Iowa Senate

We are finishing up the fourth week of this year’s session, and we remained as busy as ever as we worked on many major priorities in the legislature. It was a pleasure to meet with students from all across the district during FFA Day on the Hill on Tuesday. High school students came and ...

AEAs are critical to the success of Iowa’s education system

In 1974, Iowa legislators, under the leadership of Chuck Grassley, championed a groundbreaking initiative: the creation of the Area Education Agency system (AEAs). These AEAs, a network of 15 organizations, were established through innovative legislation to provide efficient, ...