Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Health care coverage will be expanded to more than 12,000 currently uninsured children under a bill signed into law Tuesday afternoon by Gov. Chet Culver.
Senate File 389 allocates $5.7 million to increase income limits for eligibility for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as HAWK-I, to 300 percent of the poverty level, or about $64,000 for a family of four.
The legislation allocates more than $510,000 to provide 11,000 children with dental care in the next fiscal year, and nearly $1.45 million to cover almost 25,000 children in fiscal year 2011.
The governor said since taking office in 2007 more than 32,000 Iowa children have received health insurance through HAWK-I and Medicaid, in addition to the 12,000 covered by the bill signed Tuesday.
“One of my top priorities as governor is to see that every Iowa child has access to the health care they not only need, but deserve,” Culver said. “This legislation moves us closer to our goal, and ensures that more Iowa children will grow up to be healthy adults.”
Parents of uninsured children who qualify for government health-insurance programs would be required to sign them up.
A version of the bill passed in the Senate early in the legislative session created a “health-insurance exchange,” which would have helped uninsured adults find coverage. That portion was stripped out by the House and replaced with a commission to make recommendations on how to improve health care for all Iowans.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter