Latest news with #IowaLegislature
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
911 dispatchers ask Governor Reynolds to veto bill
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Legislature passed a bill overnight before the close of the legislative session that 911 emergency dispatchers are calling on the governor to veto. Regional Water issues mandatory water rationing, water sources below capacity Specifically, emergency dispatchers are concerned about Division XII, Section 42 of the standings appropriations bill, which grants the Iowa 911 Program the authority to charge local 911 service boards for undefined 'reasonable costs' associated with delivering 911 traffic to Public SafetyAnswering Points. Todd Malone, the president of Iowa Chapter of Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, said that the bill could have dire consequences on dispatch centers. 'It's not clearly defined and there was a mention of a 30-day deadline that it would have to be paid. Some centers won't be able to budget readily for that. It could cause problems with their staffing. Some centers, you know, they could close down and move phone calls to reroute it to a different location,' Malone said. The governor has 30 days to either sign the bill or veto it. Iowa News: 911 dispatchers ask Governor Reynolds to veto bill Regional Water issues mandatory water rationing, water sources below capacity ISU President Wintersteen retires after 40 years with the school Why has it been so windy in Iowa? Get ready for a cool down this weekend in Iowa Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The credibility that Trump is dashing won't be easily re-won
What's missing in the news media is a discussion on America turning into a petty, spiteful, undependable and selfish country. We are all connected. Even poor countries have money in American bonds. And the whole world is selling our bonds, lowering their value, which causes the interest rates to go up (example: if a $100 bond purchased that gives a 5% rate now sells for $80, the return becomes 6.25%). This will raise the interest the U.S. pays on our deficit and will impact large purchases. Now business expansion plans are non-existent because of President Donald Trump's erratic leadership. Who in their right mind would want to build a factory? Tomorrow tariffs may be withdrawn or the parts you want to import may suddenly cost more than the market will bear. Like virtually everything Trump touches, this is a mess. Being wishy-washy and undependable is not a negotiating tool. It's a suicide weapon pointed at us. Turns out not following the Golden Rule (treating others as you wish to be treated) is really bad business. Terry Lowman, Ames As a local auto repair shop owner, I strongly support consumer choice. It's critical the government doesn't tell Iowa's residents what kind of car they can drive or what equipment they can use. That's why I'd like to thank the Iowa Legislature for passing House File 860. This common-sense bill protects Iowans' right to choose equipment and vehicles that work best for them – whether powered by gas, electricity, or anything else. It ensures state and local governments can't discriminate against certain engines or fuel types. That matters a lot for small businesses, working families, and everyone else. Electric vehicles still struggle with long distances, are often expensive to repair, and the batteries are less efficient in cold weather than internal combustion engines. Thankfully, this bill safeguards our ability to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families – not suffer from EV mandates or other restrictions. House File 860 doesn't pick winners and losers. It simply says the free market will guide what equipment or vehicles we buy, use, and maintain. It preserves consumer choice, flexibility, and the practicality that built Iowa. Again, I'd like to thank the Iowa Legislature for passing HF860, and I encourage Gov. Kim Reynolds to sign it into law quickly. Moutassim Meri, West Des Moines The ultra-wealthy in America chose to hold their noses and provide deep funding to help Donald Trump get elected. In return, Trump does all he can to make problematic, steep cuts in the American budget, thinking this will create the necessary money to finance the tax cuts he has promised his wealthy donors. Keep in mind, Trump has done nothing to curb his own personal spending. The rich get richer. The lack of conscience of the few now takes precedence over the morality of the people. Do billionaires really need three or more homes and other luxury goods? Is money more important to these people than caring about others or our democracy? How do they sleep at night knowing they are the cause of thousands of people losing their jobs, programs being cut across the country, and America becoming the laughingstock of the world? The love of power is destroying our democracy. Margaret Havens, Storm Lake The role of the church in society is significantly different for conservatives and liberals. Conservative Christians uphold traditional views on marriage, sexuality's, gender roles and bioethics. Liberal Christians are generally more progressive on social issues, supporting gender equality LGBTQ+ inclusion and social justice initiatives. They interpret Christian ethics through the lens of compassion, justice, and human dignity. For conservative Christians, the church's role is primarily to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and preserve doctrinal truth. Its mission is spiritual, not political, although many conservative Christians are politically active, particularly on issues they believe have moral or biblical significance. Liberal Christians often see the church as a vehicle for social transformation. They emphasize the social teachings of Jesus — caring for the poor, advocating for the oppressed, and addressing systemic injustice. As such, liberal churches are often involved in activism, interfaith dialogue, and partnerships aimed at improving society. The divide between conservative and liberal Christian theology reflects deeper questions about authority, interpretation, and the interaction between faith and culture. While conservative theology seeks to uphold the faith once delivered to the saints, liberal theology aims to adapt and articulate that faith in a rapidly changing world. Despite their differences, both traditions contribute to the rich tapestry of Christian thought and continue to shape the ongoing dialogue about what it means to follow Christ in the 21st century. Wayne Hoffman, Urbandale This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Legislature wisely supports free choice on vehicles | Letters
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Deadline double standard: Newton superintendent frustrated by stalled SSA funding
Apr. 8—Newton Superintendent Tom Messinger confronted state lawmakers for being unable to meet the school funding deadlines, which is not a luxury public school districts are afforded when they have to now provide residents with notices of the public hearings for the proposed property tax rate. It's frustrating, he said. "Schools have to send their information to the courthouse by March 7 this year, before March 15 when documents are going out to people. We're asked to share our tax rate for next year at a point where that deadline is not flexible," he said. "School funding has been set on time once in the past 10 years." Rep. Jon Dunwell and Sen. Ken Rozenboom told Newton school board members during their March 24 meeting that over 1,500 bills had been filed this year. And although Messinger sympathized with lawmakers for having such a busy session, he argued many of the other education bills introduced are not as pressing. State Supplemental Aid (SSA) for public schools has been stalled for some time, and it is in large part due to disagreements between the Senate and House. The Senate approved a 2 percent SSA rate, but the House has passed a 2.25 percent funding package. The school district has formed a budget with 2 percent in mind. Typically, legislators have until 30 days after the governor's budget is released to set an SSA rate for public schools. The deadline has long since passed. The superintendent of Newton schools said there is no room for the district to break the law and not submit its budget documents to the courthouse. "But yet we're in essence hurting the perception of transparency because we know that what we give the courthouse could be off," Messinger said of the school district's proposed levy rates, which were published and sent to residents. "How do we work around that? What can be done to address that with schools?" Rozenboom felt Messinger was asking fair questions but he was skeptical the Iowa Legislature only met its deadline once in the past decade. But neither knew for sure. Rozenboom couldn't confirm, and Messinger said there could be a chance his information is wrong but from what he could find it was one for 10. "We're very aware of what the statutory requirement is for us, and we're very aware that we've failed to do that this year," Rozenboom said, who admitted lawmakers dropped the ball. "I guess I think our track record is a little better than that. But that not withstanding it's a perennial question to a perennial problem." Education is always the most important aspect of the budget, Rozenboom added, and he wishes it was easy to figure out how to spend the state's budget of $9 billion. But the state senator understands lawmakers have put a burden on public schools by not getting their work done on time. Dunwell noted the House and Senate have passed school funding bills, it's just that the two bills do not agree with each other. In the end, three different parties — the House, the Senate and the governor — need to come to an agreement on what that SSA rate will be. Negotiations are still ongoing. "That's where we're at as an impasse," Dunwell said. "So we, as a House strategy, have talked a little bit to leadership like you and knowing 2 percent was kind of the bottom and that we were going to hold out a little bit more and see if we could twist the arm of the Senate a little bit and find some additional dollars."
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill banning handheld cellphone use while driving heads to governor's desk
After years of trying, Iowa lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor's desk banning handheld use of cellphones while driving. (Photo via Getty Images) After years of failed starts, the Iowa Legislature has finally sent legislation banning the handheld use of cellphones while driving to Gov. Kim Reynolds. The Iowa House passed Senate File 22 on a 84-11 vote Wednesday. The legislation is an expansion of Iowa's current laws banning texting while driving to cover any handheld use of a cellphone. Drivers could still use a device in hands-free or voice-activated modes under the legislation. If signed into law, the bill would be enacted July 1, 2025, when law enforcement officers would begin giving warnings for violation of the measure. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, violations of the law would result in a fine of $100. If the incident results in an injury, that fine would increase to $500; in cases causing death, the fine would be $1,000. It's a change to Iowa law that law enforcement officers have been asking the Legislature to pass for years, as Iowa's current distracted driving laws are difficult to enforce. An officer who sees a person using a cellphone behind the wheel often cannot tell if a person was texting or using their phone for an approved function, like navigation. Though sought by law enforcement and families of people who died in accidents involving distracted drivers, the measure has for years failed to advance through the Iowa House. Rep. Sean Bagniewski, D-Des Moines, thanked the families who came to speak with lawmakers at subcommittee meetings and with committee members about the measure, saying 'their advocacy, for years now, is what brought us to this moment.' This year, the measure gained more momentum as Reynolds called for lawmakers to support a measure to ban the handheld use of cellphones while driving in her January Condition of the State address, which she said will help prevent traffic deaths. The measure received only one 'no' vote in the Iowa Senate from Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott. In the House Wednesday, 10 Republicans and one Democrat voted against the measure. No representatives spoke in opposition to the bill during floor debate. Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, floor manager for the legislation, thanked the Iowans who for years spoke about the need to pass a ban on the use of handheld electronic advices behind the wheel. 'Thanks to everyone who's worked on this bill over the years, especially thanks to the families — telling your story is very difficult, but it has made a difference,' Meyer said. 'I do believe this legislation will save lives.' Advocates celebrated the bill's passage Wednesday. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, said in a news release the bill 'will save lives and make our roads safer for all Iowans' 'Iowa urgently needs a hands-free driving law, and the Iowa Bike Coalition has worked towards this day for nearly seven years since it was first introduced,' Hoffman said. 'We have been persistent in our efforts because of the stories our advocates elevate of Iowans impacted by this issue. … We do this for them, for their families, and know that this new law will for a fact prevent unnecessary future loss of loved ones. This law is the seatbelt law of our generation, and we will be working in the coming months to educate the general public on how we can all change behavior so we can save lives, together.' The measure heads to Reynolds, who is expected to sign the measure into law.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State lawmakers are making counties mislead you about property taxes
That property tax statement you may have received in the mail is misleading. Blame state lawmakers. (iStock / Getty Images Plus) Iowa's 99 counties are spending your money to mislead you about property taxes. But don't blame the people at your county courthouse. The Iowa Legislature is forcing them do it. Over the past week, Iowans across the state received taxpayer-funded mailings that distorted the reality of property taxes in this state. Last week, I got my state-mandated property tax notice from the Scott County auditor, and it informed me that if a $100,000 home went up 10% in assessed value, the taxes imposed by my county for this fall and next spring would rise 12.3%. But my property value didn't go up 10% last year. It didn't change. I'm sure this is the same for most people. Why? Because 2024 wasn't a reassessment year. These occur in odd-numbered years. The local assessor's offices in this county have said only a small percentage of parcels (about 10-15%) were updated last spring. Many of those that did see changes were due to new construction. In other words, the 10% scenario described in the mailing isn't based in reality. Yet, Scott County taxpayers are being forced to spend thousands of dollars to spread this fairy tale. The county auditor says the mailing cost $40,474. Iowa legislators mandated these notices as part of a larger tax bill they approved a couple years ago. At the time, they said they were trying to increase transparency. And to be fair, there is some useful information in these mailings, such as tax rates and the dates of public hearings. However, the part purporting to describe individual tax bills for later this year and early next — the part people will be most interested in — is bunk. The notices say the 10% jump in property value is hypothetical, but according to local governments, this notice will inevitably lead to angry phone calls from people who mistakenly believe they're in for a bigger tax bill. I should note that this year, 2025, is a new reassessment year for the property taxes to be paid in 2026 and 2027, and it is possible people are now seeing some noticeable increases in their assessed values. I did. I'm told Davenport notices are expected to go out in the next week or so, and that residential assessments are up 8.9% overall. However, like in 2023, the residential rollback the state applies this fall will blunt most of the impact when it comes to taxable values, which is what are used to calculate the actual taxes we pay. The rollback, by law, ensures the statewide residential taxable value does not grow by more than 3%. Yes, I know this can all be pretty confusing, but it might be instructive to know that in 2023, even after the big assessment shock we got that spring, the rollback applied by the state meant about 62% of parcels in Davenport actually experienced a decline in taxable values, and only 12% of parcels saw an increase in taxable value of 10% or more, according to my analysis of city data. Anyway, back to the misleading notice. In a presentation a few weeks ago before the Polk County Board of Supervisors, a local budget official explained that rather than the 11.4% increase the mailing misleadingly describes to taxpayers there, the increase in county taxes will be just 1.3% for urban taxpayers who saw no change in their assessed property value. And that increase, they say, is only happening because of a small change in the residential rollback approved last fall by the state that will slightly affect taxable values. Yet, Polk County officials said the state told them they could not include their own information in these notices to provide taxpayers the correct figures. Instead, county officials are being forced to mail the misleading information. And pay for it, too. With your tax money. It's much the same story in Scott County. The county has put a statement on its website pointing out the increase in net taxable value countywide for 2024 was 2.1%. Individuals will see varying results, but the point is this: The vast majority of homeowners did not see a 10% increase in their property values. And they will not see double-digit increases in the taxes they pay this fall and next spring. That's the reality. But what also is reality is most taxpayers tend not to pay attention to anybody's property values but their own. So, when the state can force local governments to send an official notice to taxpayers suggesting a double-digit tax increase may be in the works, even if it's for somebody else, it is much easier to get Iowans to believe property taxes are out of control. This, of course, isn't happening in a vacuum. Members of the state Legislature, mostly those in the Republican majority, and local government officials have been arguing for years about whether the locals are wisely using property tax dollars. This is a fair argument to have. I think both sides have made some good points. But when lawmakers can use the power of the state to force local governments to mail a deceptive notice to taxpayers that distorts reality, then something has gone very wrong. This column was originally published by Ed Tibbetts' Along the Mississippi newsletter on Substack. It is republished here through the Iowa Writers' Collaborative. Editor's note: Please consider subscribing to the collaborative and the authors' blogs to support their work.
