As the holidays approach and you stock up on candy canes or chocolate Santas, do you know if you paid sales tax on that candy to the state of Iowa? Here in Iowa, most food is exempt from sales tax, while candy is taxable. But the definition of what is "candy" may surprise you.The Streamlined ...
Q: What is the Every Student Succeeds Act?A: In the first rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since 2001, the Republican-led Congress restored a much greater degree of local control and decision-making authority to parents, teachers and local school board members in ...
There is no doubt that the terrible events of Spring 2015, when Iowa's egg farming community faced one of the most devastating times in our history with the multi-state avian influenza (AI) outbreak, will not soon be forgotten. Through this time, however, our egg farmers never lost their ...
The federal government gave out grants to state and local governments totaling more than $628 billion last year, according to the Congressional Research Service. Why wouldn't states and local governments take grants from the federal government? Leaving aside the argument that the money the ...
I am committed to maintaining a state government that runs efficiently, offers good service to Iowans and is transparent in its operations. This year, we voted to maintain open, transparent government with more support for Iowa's Public Information Board and Office (HF 659) and technology that ...
Calvin Coolidge is most often remembered for his dry wit, silence, and conservative economic and foreign policies, but he is not often remembered as a friend of labor. Coolidge himself was an example of the Protestant work ethic, and he viewed work as honorable. As Coolidge stated: "I cannot ...
Q: Why are you working to advance Medicare reforms for rural hospitals?A: This past year, I've heard a good deal of feedback from my town meetings in Iowa that acute health care services in rural areas of our state are at risk. A shrinking pool of patients is exposing a funding shortfall that ...
Iowa AEA Online is a statewide collaborative project provided by Iowa's Area Education Agencies.(AEAs) that provides no-cost access to 14 high-quality, web-based resources for all Iowa PreK-12 grade students and teachers.These electronic, across-the-curriculum resources allow all schools, ...
The first session of the 86th Legislative Assembly has come to a close, and now is the time we analyze its fiscal aspects. This month we are reviewing the data of the Iowa Bill Tally for both the House and the Senate. Public Interest Institute (PII) brings this information to you to make you ...
Editor's Note: Mary McBee is a Tama resident. Among jobs during her career was as a reporter for The Tama News-Herald and Toledo Chroincle.Born and raised in north central Iowa, I spent my youth longing to escape those bland flatlands and to experience the spectacular natural beauty of the ...