Author Archives: Iowa Capital Dispatch
Students with top test scores could get free tuition, stipends under House bill
(Des Moines) A bill to provide tuition waivers and stipends to students with maximum scores on certain standardized tests moved ahead Tuesday with support from subcommittee members. House File 154 wou...
Feb 11, 2025
Iowa puppy mills again ranked among the biggest violators
(State) Eight Iowa dog breeders were cited for regulatory violations in the fourth quarter of 2023, with Iowa again ranked as one of the states with the highest number of violators. Between Oct. 1, 20...
Feb 07, 2025
House Republicans announce education spending package with 2.25% per-pupil increase
(Des Moines) House Speaker Pat Grassley said House Republicans are pursuing a slightly higher increase in state funding package for the public K-12 system than the governor and GOP senators. Speaking ...
Feb 06, 2025
Pharmacists ask for lawmakers to pass bill regulating pharmacy benefit managers
(Des Moines) Iowa pharmacists and advocates said Wednesday lawmakers need to pass legislation regulating pharmacy benefit managers, the third-party companies that negotiate prescription prices between...
Feb 06, 2025
'No more Iowa nice': Biofuels leaders push for year-round E15
ALTOONA - Monte Shaw, executive director of Iowa Renewable Fuels Association urged industry leaders and farmers at the association's summit Tuesday to pursue expanding markets and to be wary of "looki...
Feb 05, 2025
Trump spending freeze memo that provoked confusion, chaos rescinded
The Trump administration on Wednesday rescinded a memo issued less than 48 hours earlier that had called for a spending freeze on numerous federal grant and loan programs. The original memo, released ...
Jan 29, 2025
House panel unanimously approves bill aimed at distracted driving
(Des Moines) Lawmakers in an Iowa House subcommittee unanimously advanced legislation Tuesday allowing drivers to use only handsfree devices behind the wheel after more than a dozen lobbyists and memb...
Jan 28, 2025
Trump administration memo announces abrupt freeze on broad swath of federal payments
UPDATED WASHINGTON - The Trump administration will temporarily stop payments on multiple federal programs Tuesday evening, cutting off Americans who rely on what could be trillions in funding and sett...
Jan 28, 2025
Iowa lawmakers fast-track casino moratorium bill
(Des Moines) House lawmakers quickly advanced a proposed casino moratorium, passing it through a subcommittee and the Ways and Means Committee on Monday. House Study Bill 80 would impose a moratorium ...
Jan 28, 2025
Senate panel passes latest attempt to ban hand-held phones for drivers
(Des Moines) Advocates and senators at a Statehouse meeting Wednesday said they were hopeful that 2025 will be the year the Legislature can finally pass a hands-free cellphone bill for drivers. Senate...
Jan 23, 2025
