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 Legislative Services Agency released the first proposal for new congressional and legislative districts Thursday morning, and Republican U.S. Reps. Tom Latham and Steve King are both in the new fourth district. Democratic U.S. Reps. Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack are now both in the new first district, leaving only Democrat Leonard Boswell in the third district, which now stretches to Iowa’s western border.
Loebsack currently lives in Linn County, which was placed in Braley’s first district on this map. It has long been assumed if this were to happen that Loebsack would simply move to Johnson County to avoid facing off with another incumbent Democrat. After the districts were redrawn in 2001, Boswell moved to Des Moines to represent the district Greg Ganske left behind when he ran for Senate. That same year, Latham moved to Ames to avoid being placed in King’s fifth district.
If the LSA’s first plan is rejected by the legislature, the second plan must be delivered within 35 days. The legislature cannot consider the second plan until at least seven days after its delivery, which could lengthen the legislative session or even push lawmakers to hold a special session later this year.
If that plan is rejected, a third will be offered. If the legislature then rejects that proposal, lawmakers will then get to tinker directly with the districts. But if they fail to pass any redistricting map by Sept. 1, the Iowa Supreme Court will be given responsibility for establishing a plan.
The likelihood that this particular map will survive is small, as most observers predict it will ultimately be rejected. However, lawmakers did approve the first plan back in 1991. In 2001, the LSA’s second plan was enacted.
Iowa Proposed Redistricting Plan 1 Report
Iowa Congressional Districts, Plan 1 (Proposed)
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