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Editorials

The Sires Sentinel: April 4, 2025

The week of March 31- April 4 marked the 12th week of the legislative session and brought with it our second major legislative deadline. Much of our time was spent in subcommittees and committees reviewing House bills – an important step in prioritizing legislation that has the support ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Investing in the ABCs

It hasn’t been a good news cycle for Iowa’s public schools recently. The Waterloo Community School District announced budget cuts of over $10 million for their upcoming school year. Then I saw that the Cedar Rapids Community School District is facing a $12 million budget deficit and is ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Investing in the ABCs

It hasn’t been a good news cycle for Iowa’s public schools recently. The Waterloo Community School District announced budget cuts of over $10 million for their upcoming school year. Then I saw that the Cedar Rapids Community School District is facing a $12 million budget deficit and is ...

Thank You to Tama County!

Last night (March 26), I attended the Tama County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. I attended on behalf of the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa (CEDI) to speak about the economic benefits of renewable energy projects. The Tama Clean Energy District (TCED) is a member of CEDI. I also ...

Renewable energy can strengthen county infrastructure, public schools

In a recent case study on the economic impact of wind energy in Howard County, I had the opportunity to work with the Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA). The full report is written by Alex Delworth, Senior Policy Associate, and is available on the CFRA’s website. To collect information for ...

Halfway Through

We have officially reached the half-way point of the 2025 legislative session. Last Friday (March 7) marked both the end of Week 8 and the end of the first Funnel Week. Funnel Week is a self-imposed deadline designed to winnow the pool of legislation up for consideration during a given year. ...

District 53 Newsletter: March 6, 2025

This was week 8 of the session. This was the first funnel week, so we were busy with subcommittee and committee work to keep bills eligible for debate. Over the last several sessions the Republicans in the Legislature have done great work to lower income taxes. More recently, Iowans have been ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 28, 2025

This was Week 7 of the session. We are quickly coming up on the funnel date when individually filed policy bills must be through committee to remain eligible for debate. Thursday, the Iowa House and Senate passed Senate File 418, a return to common sense by removing “gender identity” as a ...

Working for Iowans

Most Iowans aren’t satisfied with their state government. That’s what we’ve been hearing at the Capitol, at town halls and legislative forums, on social media, and in our daily conversations. Your goals and aspirations aren’t being reflected by the choices made on your behalf. Your ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: A roundup of concerns…

On February 10, I made it over to the state capitol in Des Moines to check out the “Defeat the Cancer Gag Act” day of action hosted by CCI Action, Food & Water Watch, and others. Bayer seems to be spearheading the effort behind Senate File 394 that, if passed, would make it harder for ...