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Around this time, legislators who have announced they aren’t seeking re-election in the Iowa legislature are granted a “retirement” speech from the chamber floor. Between the House and Senate, around 35 legislators are not running for re-election. A few are seeking to run in the other chamber and there are some running for congressional seats. Some of these decisions are also due to redistricting. Also, many large budget bills have passed in the House, but so far the Senate has not taken them up. With the legislature near the end and moving at a slower pace, this podcast will pause until the session has gaveled out for the year.
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The state-run Glenwood Resource Center for Iowans with severe disabilities will be permanently closed in 2024, according to state officials. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice found Glenwood residents were subjected to harmful human experimentation and poor medical care.
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The Iowa Senate voted Tuesday to give $1 million of state money to anti-abortion pregnancy centers and voted to expand Medicaid coverage for Iowans up to a year after they give birth.
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The Iowa Legislature reaches a moment where the Senate and House must find compromise on the bottle bill and cuts to state unemployment.
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Two key Republican lawmakers said Monday they may consider getting rid of Iowa’s bottle and can deposit program if they can’t agree on how to change it this year.
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Get caught up on the latest at the state legislature here.
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Proposals about public schools pass in the Senate and House requiring online publishing of curriculums. Private schools are exempt from doing the same. Unlike the House version, the Senate’s includes millions of dollars in scholarships for students attending private schools. One Republican says this is necessary after accusing some public schools of promoting a “leftist agenda.” And the House passes a budget with no increase to the regents universities’ general fund. But the bill does propose appropriating $12 million for new scholarships.
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Reporters on the IPR politics team answer your questions about what's going on at the Statehouse.
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The prospects for changes to Iowa’s bottle bill remained unclear Thursday, two days after Senate Republicans passed a bill that would allow grocery and other stores to refuse to redeem nickel deposits on cans and bottles.
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The two bills would make similar requirements for schools to provide what Republicans consider increased transparency, but only the Senate version includes a voucher-style scholarship program favored by Gov. Kim Reynolds.