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.
A bill that would overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been introduced in the U.S. House, and Iowa’s largest LGBT group is urging the state’s lawmakers to sign on.
The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced Tuesday by Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.). The bill, which has 76 House sponsors, would also provide same-sex couples with federal benefits if they receive a marriage license in a state where same-sex marriage is legal. DOMA, signed by Bill Clinton in 1996, allows states to disregard same-sex marriages contracted in other states and bars federal recognition of those unions. It also prevents same-sex couples from filing their taxes jointly, from receiving spousal benefits under Social Security, from taking unpaid leave to care for a sick or injured spouse and from receiving employer-provided family health benefits without tax penalties.
Gay-rights group One Iowa is asking the Hawkeye State’s congressional delegation to support the measure.
Iowa passed a similar law in 1998, but the law was ruled unconstitutional in April by the Iowa Supreme Court. With that ruling, Iowa joined Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut in legalizing same-sex marriage. But because of the federal statute, same-sex couples are still being discriminated against, One Iowa said in a statement.
“Despite April’s unanimous ruling in favor of marriage equality in Iowa, many states continue to use DOMA as their model for discrimination,” the group said. “Repealing DOMA is critical to ensuring that ALL marriages are treated equally by the federal government, including those of same-sex couples in Iowa.”
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