Here is what we have found regarding the bills we have been watching (some of these may have changed as things are moving quickly). Transparency Bill requires teachers to post course materials online. House File 2577 would require public school teachers to post their lesson plans and materials online for parents to review. The House … Read more
We should celebrate public schools, the students who learn in them, those who teach and work in them and the communities that support them. We all have a teacher, bus driver, cafeteria worker, custodian, or other school staff who has influenced them. We know that here in Iowa it’s not an easy time to be … Read more
Whatever happened to Iowa Nice? This Legislative Session, with so many of us still being touched by the Covid Pandemic and its aftermath, Governor Reynolds and Republican lawmakers should be finding ways to work together with both sides of the aisle to create legislation to help Iowans, instead they are making life harder. The needs … Read more
Excerpts from a February 20, 2022 Des Moines Register article by Stephen Gruber-Miller and Ian Richardson Iowa lawmakers have introduced hundreds of bills this legislative session, but many died after falling victim to the Legislature’s “funnel” deadline. To survive, bills must have received approval from a full committee in one chamber. The funnel does not … Read more
The Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA) has long opposed Iowa’s bottle bill, and now the group is making a concerted effort to harm the system by leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the CDC has never linked increased COVID-19 risk to bottle redemption nor has there been a case of redemption-related transmission reported anywhere in the country. Many … Read more
Lowering income taxes is high priority, but lawmakers may not eliminate it outright: On the chopping block: Iowa’s income tax, which Republicans argue is making the state less competitive. But leaders stopped short of recommending an immediate elimination of the state’s income tax, emphasizing the change would need to be sustainable over time. Democrats emphasized … Read more
Click HERE to tell us your story! Medicare has remained stuck in the 60s. It’s time for us to strengthen and expand it! We need the Build Back Better Agenda! Drug corporations have been price-gouging patients, taxpayers and businesses for over a decade, with price increases that outpace inflation and put even basic medicines out of … Read more
Click HERE to sign on! To: Iowa Congressional Delegation: Senators Grassley and Ernst, Representatives Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Axne and Feenstra Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support Congressional action to lower the price of prescription drugs. Specifically, a strong majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents support specific policies like enabling Medicare Part D to negotiate for lower … Read more
Enabling Medicare to negotiate drug prices is one of the most significant things we can do to make medicines affordable for patients and taxpayers, and must be part of any drug price reform. Similarly, lowering out-of-pocket costs and reining in drug corporations’ monopoly power to price-gouge through patent reforms are critical features of reform.
After a year of insufficient aid to meet an ever-worsening crisis, Iowans NEED comprehensive COVID relief NOW! Right now, there are thousands of our friends, family and neighbors who are out of work, who have lost pay, or who have lost hours because of the pandemic. A small “rescue package” will leave far too many … Read more