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 ...
My father would be explainin' the inner workings of the camshaft as I glanced at all of the tubes and wires, the slabs of metal, and pools of multicolored liquid that made up the inner workings of the car. The old man would go on for a while and then ask me if I understood. I'd look at him, ...
In the doldrums of the middle of winter, my simple mind begins to wander all over the place. I think if the "I wonder what would happen if......," took place. And once again, (it's happened before), what would happen if yours truly became "Dictator of the World," for a couple of years or ...
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 ...
Last February, I received an email. It was from the North Tama reporter, Ruby McAllister. She told me the current editor of the News Chronicle gave her two weeks' notice, and they didn't have anyone to cover the weekly Supervisor's meetings. She asked if I could cover for a few weeks and go ...
Our state is one of the worst for allowing appalling puppy mills to flourish within our borders (see Iowa Capital Dispatch, Kauffman article, Feb. 7). With inadequate regulations and monitoring due to lack of funding, numerous adult dogs suffer in small cages with little care during their ...
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 ...
People in the 53rd are probably getting tired of seeing me run in the 53rd House District. Poweshiek and Tama are represented in this district. With Dean Fisher giving up on public education, he quit and ran after the alarming school shooting, the timing of the new school in Tama sends a bad ...
You can call it loyalty or insanity, or a combination of the two, but I've only ever had two people cut my hair. My first barber was Pat, a tall man who was ironically bald. As far back as I can remember, the man never had a scrap of hair on top of his head, just some that clung to the sides ...
Fifty years ago, AEAs were created with the help of Senator Chuck Grassley to create equal opportunities for all students, so that regardless of where you lived, all children and educators had equal access and support to ensure Iowa students could achieve to the fullest. Through the AEA, I was ...