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 draft on the Senate’s version of abortion laws in Iowa could be ready by early next week, an Iowa City Democrat who is running the bill, said Thursday.
Sen. Joe Bolkcom, the floor manager of House File 657 in the Senate, said he is currently working on amendments and an early draft of a bill that would prohibit abortions in Iowa after 20 weeks gestation.
“I’m taking time to become familiar with it,” Bolkcom told The Iowa Independent. “There are some amendments being worked on. We want to thoroughly address the constitutionality of it.”
One such constitutional matter, pro-choice groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa have pointed out, is that the legislation stipulates life is recognized at fertilization, effectively banning all abortions in the state. Bolkcom confirmed that is one issue being examined, as is the 20-week ban.
“Like I said, we want to address our concerns about constitutionality, and address our concerns about protecting the health and lives of women,” Bolkcom said.
The bill was originally introduced in response to Nebraska doctor LeRoy Carhart’s announced intention that he would open a clinic providing late-term abortions in Iowa, specifically in Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal’s hometown of Council Bluffs. A proposed amendment that is being drafted, Bolkcom said, would keep Carhart from opening that clinic.
“That is a goal,” Bolkcom said. “I share (Council Bluffs) Mayor (Tom) Hanahan’s concerns, as well as Sen. Gronstal’s.”
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