Latest news with #KenRozenboom
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Senate drops private colleges from DEI ban
The Iowa Senate passed an amended version of legislation to bar state entities and community colleges from funding diversity, equity and inclusion offices and activities. (Photo illustrationPlus) The Iowa Senate dropped private universities Friday from legislation barring diversity, equity and inclusion activities and offices in state entities. Senators amended House File 856 and sent it back to the House. The bill would, as amended, prohibit state agencies and community colleges from spending public or private dollars on opening or sustaining DEI offices and official positions. Previous versions of the bill stated private universities would risk Iowa Tuition Grant funding if they continue to maintain DEI divisions, but an amendment introduced by Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, and passed by the chamber removed this section. Another amendment, also passed, clarified definitions listed in the bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Senate Democrats opposed the legislation, saying it limits academic freedom and freedom of speech. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said during debate those restrictions are 'completely contradictory to our constitutional mandate and our democratic principles of the United States.' Echoing previous comments on other DEI-focused legislation, Quirmbach said eliminating the ability for agencies like law enforcement and school districts to use a DEI practice like recruiting from certain communities will have negative consequences, as staff won't be as well-equipped to understand other cultures. Sens. Molly Donahue and Sarah Trone Garriott said the legislation would harm higher education institutions working to graduate well-rounded students who are prepared for the workforce and world. Iowa is a state without enough people to work in it, Trone Garriott said, and DEI programs and practices help keep young people in the state and attract new residents to it. 'Policies like this are already hurting Iowa, and we can see it as employers are struggling to attract workers, and our young people move away and don't come back, and our colleges and universities are having a very hard time attracting students, and our economic growth is lagging behind other states,' Trone Garriott said. 'This is moving in the wrong direction.' Rozenboom said in closing comments he heard 'a lot of fearmongering, a lot of exaggeration, hyperbole and that sort of thing' from those opposing the bill, when in reality what it serves to do is show that state entities 'do not exist to promote politically divisive ideologies.' 'I think House File 856 is required because of the directions some have gone, in the extreme, to push DEI initiatives in our state institutions,' Rozenboom said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Republicans want to ban ranked-choice voting. It's not used in any Iowa elections
Senate Republicans are seeking to ban ranked-choice voting in Iowa, although no federal, state or local elections currently use the voting method. Senators voted 34-13 along party lines on Wednesday to pass Senate File 459, sending it to the Iowa House for consideration. The legislation says any statewide or local government could not conduct elections using ranked-choice voting, sometimes known as instant runoff voting, which involves ranking each candidate in order of preference and reallocating votes to a voter's second choice if their first choice fails to win a majority. "In my view, ranked-choice voting makes it harder to vote," said Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Pella. "It makes the votes harder to count and it's much harder to ensure a transparent and accountable democratic process. And in 2025 with the heightened expectations and concerns about the voting process, I think this is an excellent proposal." Rozenboom said the Iowa Secretary of State's Office, which sponsored the bill, says Iowa's current tabulators are not equipped to tally votes cast using a ranked-choice method. Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said Iowa's current winner-take-all election system "breeds division and only fuels partisanship and political attacks." She tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to allow ranked-choice voting in local elections. "Ranked-choice voting gives the people what they want: more choices," she said. "It is possible to have multiple candidates, and no one is a spoiler. Instead, we see increased voter participation and much higher voter satisfaction because all candidates are considered and all the votes count. The winner who comes out on top actually represents the will of the people." Some states, including Alaska and Maine, use ranked-choice voting for all their state and federal elections. Several other states allow the city and county governments to use the voting method in local elections. Eleven states, all led by Republicans, already ban ranked-choice voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, has called for Iowa to implement ranked-choice voting, saying it would help lessen divisiveness and partisanship in politics. "I'm sick of having two choices, and I think most other people are too," Sand said last year on an episode of "Iowa Press" on Iowa PBS. "I'm sick of the meanness, the anger, the exaggeration of people's political positions, the denigration of people." Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@ or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Senate Republicans move to ban ranked-choice voting in elections
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rozenboom has strong feelings on proposed pesticide tort reform bill
Feb. 18—Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles covering the topics discussed at legislative gatherings hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County. Iowa Sen. Ken Rozenboom admitted he has strong feelings about the proposed bill in the legislature that limits lawsuits against agricultural chemical companies. Well, to be exact, he said he had "really, really strong feelings" about this topic. He told guests at a legislative gathering — hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County — the different viewpoints he is considering. As a lawmaker, he has issues with vague terminologies being used to stoke fear in the populace. As a farmer, he sees the benefits some pesticides can provide to crops. Opponents of Senate Study Bill 1051 argue against pesticides and claim they could be a factor for why Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the United States. Rozenboom is taking these issues into consideration, too, and he told constituents he is sensitive to the disease, which has killed two of his brothers. However, Rozenboom pushed back against what some call the "Cancer Gag Act," saying it is not a bill that prohibits any Iowans from suing companies like Bayer. He also disputed the link to glyphosate — the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup — causing cancers like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. "They've been trying for decades to find a link because if they can find a link that will open up Bayer and other companies to bankruptcy-type lawsuits," he said. "That link does not exist. So on the other side of the equation we have a product that has done more to feed people around the world than any other product." Rozenboom argued glyphosate has enabled farmers from all across the world to produce more food and given them a tool to implement more conservation practices. There is so much benefit from that technology, he said, but people want to throw it all away so lawyers have a "new bucket of cash to dig into." The Republican lawmaker also disputed the decade-old classification from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization, saying glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans." Rozenboom said, to him, that means no real proof. "Let me give you some other things they found probable cause on: Working at night probably causes cancer. Aloe vera probably causes cancer. Washing dishes is a probable cause of cancer," Rozenboom said. " ...Glyphosate is in that same class. There are many more from this group, which I consider rogue." Rozenboom also considers the group to be non-scientific. He said the agency gets a lot of publicity from the press and has polluted the argument "while showing absolutely no proof." Rep. Jon Dunwell said the bill has not been presented to the House yet, but he does have some questions. "What does the bill actually do? There has been some disagreement as to what the bill does," Dunwell said. "There are those who say the bill totally shields these companies, specifically Bayer... The Bayer folks and the other people in agriculture have clearly communicated to me that is not what the bill does." Dunwell said the bill does not shield pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits that could one day find a link to cancer. He echoed Rozenboom's sentiments in that there are no reliable studies clearly linking glyphosate to cancer. Of note, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not consider glyphosate a carcinogen. "That's why it's not on the label at this point, required by the EPA," Dunwell said. "...I have been in support of protecting them (Bayer) from being sued from mislabeling when the reality is they're doing exactly what we as a government have asked them to do." Dunwell also argued that lawsuits contribute to a declination to the GDP, so it impacts the economy. Two years ago, Iowa signed into law medical malpractice tort reform. Prior to that law passing, Dunwell said officials from the local clinic told him they were one lawsuit away from going under. Still, Dunwell acknowledged the state's high cancer rates and how that is of great concern for the governor and Iowa lawmakers. Linda Wormley, of Newton, said constituents want to see action, but instead it feels like lawmakers are worried more about corporations. "No," Rozenboom said. "We're worried about Iowa farmers." Wormley replied, "I am an Iowa farmer." To Rozenboom, Illinois uses a fair amount of Roundup, too, but that state's cancer rate is well below Iowa. He argued if glyphosate was the problem then Illinois would be just as high. Dunwell said the bottom line is the governor has started the process of studying why the state's cancer rate is so high. Rozenboom said opponents of Bayer declared the company had a duty to warn users that their product may cause cancer. He decried the phrase "duty to warn" as vague and confusing legal standard. Rozenboom said the EPA is not a friend of farmers and has had 50 years to study this chemical. "To that point, there are 1,500 long-term, very exhaustive, with thousands and thousands and thousands of factory workers and farmers and users that have found no link," Rozenboom said. "So there's scientific evidence on this. It's just contrary to the ones that want to bankrupt the makers." The state senator said reports from media and the classification on glyphosate from IARC have only fueled the fire and scared a lot of people. "But that's my feelings on this," he said. "I've been dealing with this for years." Rozenboom wanted to emphasize that he is sensitive to cancer. One of his brothers is fighting prostate cancer right now. His oldest brother died of cancer in 1962, which was before Roundup was on the market. Another brother of his died last September. He farmed his whole life and used Roundup like any farmer. "There's no causation there," he said. "My wife is currently fighting lymphoma for the second time in 16 years. Cancer is really dominant in my family. So I'm sensitive to things that cause cancer. It's as sensitive to anybody in this room, I suspect. So please don't misinterpret my position on this as not caring. "Because I care."
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Casino moratorium dies in Iowa Senate, commission will decide Cedar Crossing's future
DES MOINES, Iowa — In a move that surprised Cedar Rapids city officials and business leaders, Iowa lawmakers will not block a proposal for a casino in town. Just last week members of the Iowa House voted in favor of a five-year moratorium on new casino licenses granted by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. But as that same bill worked through the Iowa Senate chamber on Tuesday, a Republican committee chair declined to bring up the bill. 'Today I chose not to bring forward HF 144 in committee. I am no fan of gambling and my decision not to advance this legislation should not be considered in support of casino expansion,' said State Senator Ken Rozenboom, (R) District 19 from Oskaloosa. 'According to my conversations, this bill did not have enough support from Senate Republicans to advance all the way through the Senate process. In the interest of moving this session forward to other issues of critical importance to Iowans, I have no plans to reconsider the legislation for the remainder of this session.' The bill outside of the five-year ban on casino construction would have also prevented the commission from awarding licenses to new projects if it would impact an existing casino's receipts by 10%. Those opposed to the Cedar Crossing Casino project cited numbers for surrounding casinos, with studies showing it would cost Riverside Casino and Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo millions annually. Who does the Blank Park Zoo's tiger predict will win the Super Bowl? This bill blocked in the Iowa Senate is something city officials and business leaders in Cedar Rapids have been wanting — the ability to make the case to the commission. 'To be honest it took my breath away for a minute and I had to rewind and ask the people next to me that I really just heard what I heard,' said Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell, City of Cedar Rapids. '… it's certainly is a victory for this latest hurdle. I'm well aware that we have the ultimate hurdle coming up this Thursday when we hear from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.' Cedar Rapids was rejected for a license by the commission in 2014 and again in 2017 for a new license. But O'Donnell is hopeful that the meeting this February 6 is different. 'I think it's a different landscape than when the racing and gaming commission looked at this project before. The studies show that we are ready for more competition and specifically this project brings so much to the eastern portion of our state in the second largest city. You know, not only will it bring economic opportunity for us, but it also comes at a time when the state's looking for new revenue,' said O'Donnell. Iowa News: Casino moratorium dies in Iowa Senate, commission will decide Cedar Crossing's future Ice storm possible on Wednesday evening in central Iowa WHO 13 Farm Report: Tuesday, February 4th Odebolt community shares excitement for DeJean's Super Bowl debut with Eagles Cyclones 2025 football schedule includes 3 bye weeks Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
