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 Iowa Board of Regents will consider at their meeting this week whether to open the Harkin Institute for Public Policy at Iowa State University. The institute would be focused on the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus and policy matters relative to current legislation, and would be named after U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).
On Monday 24 state Senate Republicans sent a letter to the Board of Regents to voice their objection to naming the center after the Iowa Democrat, as a current sitting official.
The copy of the letter sent to The Iowa Independent stated, in part:
“We agree with Senator Greiner’s points that the inclusion of this proposed institute raises serious concerns about transparency within the Regents system and also prompts very concerning legal and ethical challenges. At this time, we respectfully request the Board of Regents to postpone any consideration of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy until there is further discussion about this proposal and the general propriety of a state institution naming an institute after a current elected official serving the people of Iowa.”
State Senator Sandra Greiner (R-Keota), who has herself been the target of government watchdog groups for her association with the American Future Fund, originally raised a flag of objection last week.
“My basic concern is the impropriety of a seated senator … whose organization would be soliciting funds to run their institute from the same people who would possibly be seeking regulation from that senator,” Greiner told Radio Iowa.
The institute is said in the proposal that it would be nonpartisan and funded through gifts, not by the state. Part of the proposal before the Regents states the institute would honor “[Harkin's] policy concerns, including those related to agriculture, education, international affairs, disabilities, nutrition, health, and labor, will guide and direct the proposed institute’s teaching, research, and outreach priorities.”
See the Harkin-Institute proposal to the Regents.
See the Senate Letter to Regents Regarding Harkin Institute.
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