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.
The new Senate Republican Minority Leader fired a shot across the bow as the 2008 legislative session opened on Monday morning, a clue that the upcoming session will be a truculent one.
Sen. Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City, said with an election coming in 2008,the Democratic leadership will shy away from making tough decisions necessary to make Iowa a better place.
“If Iowa is to be a place that grows and thrives for all of its citizens, we need to do the heavy lifting that bold and responsible leadership requires,” Wieck said in his opening remarks. “Sadly, you won’t find it in the Iowa Senate. It is easy to tax and spend, so we tax and spend, and spend, and spend.”
Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said Wieck’s comments are typical of the leader of a party out of power. Gronstal’s party holds a majority in both the Iowa House and Senate and with Chet Culver in the Governor’s Office, the Democratic party holds an advantage in getting legislation passed this year.
“Look, he’s the leader of a fractured caucus so his remarks don’t surprise me” Gronstal said. “I think there are a bunch of Republicans we’ve worked very closely with in the past three years (since the Democrats took power.)”Earlier in the morning, Gronstal called on behalf of his fellow senators to finish the work that was begun in 2007, including strengthening incentives for the production of alternative energy, providing quality daycare to all Iowa pre-schoolers, and making health insurance available to more Iowans.
Republicans and Democrats in the Senate already disagree over the amount of money available to spend this year. Republicans say it won’t be possible to increase spending without jacking up property taxes. But Gronstal and others point to a report by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency that says the state has about $592 million in reserves.
The legislature is faced with an aggressive agenda this year that includes adopting statewide education standards, replacing an out-dated prison in Fort Madison, revamping the state’s deposit law on beverage containers, improving the state’s roads and bridges and overhauling the property tax structure.
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