Newsletter for Thursday,February 1, 2018This week the House Republicans released our plan for a comprehensive school finance package. Since 2011 the Iowa legislature has become a leader in K-12 funding, increasing school funding by $735 million over that period. This represents roughly $1,000 ...
This week the House passed the water quality bill the Senate passed last year. We were proud to get this bill through the Senate, but we know this isn't the final step it is just the first. The discussion about water quality in Iowa will be ongoing, but I believe Iowans also deserve some ...
Newsletter forThursday, January 25, 2018Week three of the legislature was marked with our first debate and passage of a bill this session, The "Water Quality" bill, Senate File 512. This bill was passed by the House in 2016 and by the Senate in 2017 but held over in the House last year due to ...
Previously, I wrote a column about changes that could improve Iowa's law on open meetings.That's Chapter 21 of the Iowa Code. Chapter 22 deals with public records, and that's the law I want to discuss in this week's column.The policy of Chapter 22, as stated in Section 22.8, is "that free and ...
As the week started, the drive to Des Moines was treacherous, and the weather reminded us all we live in Iowa. I saw emergency responders at work in the multi-car pile-up on the I-80/I-235 mix-master.Now that we are in the second week, we've started our work in subcommittee and committee. I ...
First Week of SessionThe first week of session is already coming to a close. It is an honor to serve the people of District 36. In 2018, I will continue working to find the common sense solutions to address many of the challenges Iowans are facing.Since adjourning last year, much of our summer ...
The second year of the 87th General Assembly gaveled into session on Monday, January 8 with great anticipation for another landmark session.On Tuesday, we heard Governor Reynolds deliver her first Condition of the State address. The governor delivered an excellent speech that outlined several ...
When the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy was released in 2012 it was a whole new approach to addressing the important issue of water quality. Rather than setting some overly ambitious goal without a plan to achieve it, we looked at the science to see what it would actually take to see a 45 ...
Which skills are critical to prepare students to enter the workforce or college? Strong skills in academics and technology typically top the list. Undoubtedly, critical thinking, problem-solving,effective communication, and the ability to collaborate are equally important. What about ...
Congress is currently debating a deal to increase spending caps and fund the government through the remainder of the current fiscal year before a funding stopgap expires on January 19. In addition, Congress is discussing measures to fund disaster relief, revive expired 'tax extenders', delay or ...