The first deadline of the year was this week called "funnel" week. We worked to get important legislation through the first hurdle. This also meant we covered a wide range of issues while we worked towards our deadline. I have had several conversations in person and on the phone about the ...
In a world where everything goes as fast as possible, time should be taken to appreciate parts of life which are not meant to be commodified. This means art, specifically, is done as a passion whether it is painting, drawings, writing, or performing. Some are lucky enough to create art which ...
Last week was “Funnel Week”, wherein we must have all our individually filed bills through committee. Fortunately, I have been able to move the bills I need to through the process already, so my work this week was focused on the many other bills moving through the committees I sit on, which ...
It's Saturday night, the snow is falling, and inquiring minds want to know: “Are you going to cancel church?” My pastoral policy is this: “If I can be there, we’ll have church. I trust people to decide if it’s safe for them.” After the most recent Big Snow at the beginning of ...
The legislature is quickly approaching the “funnel” date of February 16 where individually filed bills need to be through the committee process in order to be eligible for floor debate. This week I floor managed through a subcommittee meeting and the full committee meeting HSB 636, that ...
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff provide updates on recently completed hunting seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested. Locally, the Iowa DNR will ...
Significant snow, wind, and brutally cold temperatures impacted Nebraska and much of the Midwest in January. Given the frequency of extreme weather events experienced across the U.S. during the past several years, preparing for emergencies is an important consideration for utilities and ...
To be a beginning farmer today if one does not have access to land and machinery from family or an older farmer is not wise. This is not good for rural Iowa. Rural Iowa succeeded when more farmers were on the land. As Iowa heads down this current path, there is not an effective way out. Schools ...
Fifty years ago, AEAs were created with the help of Senator Chuck Grassley to create equal opportunities for all students, so that regardless of where you lived, all children and educators had equal access and support to ensure Iowa students could achieve to the fullest. Through the AEA, I was ...
We are finishing up the fourth week of this year’s session, and we remained as busy as ever as we worked on many major priorities in the legislature. It was a pleasure to meet with students from all across the district during FFA Day on the Hill on Tuesday. High school students came and ...