Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced Monday that Iowa, alongside three other states, has reached a settlement agreement allowing state officials to access a federal immigration database to verify citizenship status of voters for the next 20 years.

State officials have denied The Satanic Temple Iowa’s request to hold a holiday event in the Iowa Capitol for the second year in a row, as the state faces a religious discrimination complaint related to last year’s denial.

In an internal meeting on Friday, the Iowa Department of Corrections told employees it is no longer pursuing privatization, saying now is not the right time. About 20% of the medical staff resigned over the past six months.

The state of Iowa will pay $600,000 to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by former Iowa Department of Public Health Communications Director Polly Carver-Kimm, who claimed she was forced to resign for attempting to comply with Iowa’s open records law.

Voters in three of eastern Iowa’s largest cities will see a question about a Local Option Sales Tax on their ballots this November. If approved, the revenue generated by the tax would fund affordable housing and various capital improvement projects in Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty.

Gov. Kim Reynolds released 45 recommendations Tuesday made by her Iowa DOGE Task Force. She said there has been misinformation about changes to IPERS, and she assured public employees that their pensions are not going anywhere.

Iowa will have to dip further into its reserves to cover a larger budget gap than expected as federal tax changes add to the impact of state tax cuts. Republican leaders say they have saved enough money to pay the state's bills, while Democrats say the majority party is mismanaging the state's finances.

Iowans who take in family members in foster care, known as kinship caregivers, can now receive financial assistance equal to foster care parents because of a 2023 federal rule.

State Auditor Rob Sand said he will audit the Des Moines school district because he received a qualifying request from someone in the district. The special audit follows the arrest of former Superintendent Ian Roberts for immigration and gun violations.

Iowa Sen. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines, died Monday after entering hospice care Sept. 18. The 59-year-old had been battling an undisclosed medical issue for several months.