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.
Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives have received their committee assignments for the upcoming 2009 legislative session. Although there are no big surprises, there does seem to be some indication that previous disagreements have not been completely forgiven and forgotten.
| Ako Abdul-Samad | Polk Co.
HD 66 |
Administration and Rules
Education Human Resources Labor Transportation |
| McKinley Bailey | Hamilton Co.
HD 9 |
Agriculture
Appropriations Commerce Economic Growth (vice chair) Veterans Affairs Transportation & Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee (vice |
| John Beard | Winneshiek Co.
HD 16 |
Agriculture
Natural Resources (vice chair) State Government (vice chair) Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Paul Bell | Jasper Co.
HD 41 |
Agriculture
Natural Resources (chair) Public Safety Transportation Ways and Means |
| Deborah Berry | Black Hawk Co.
HD 22 |
Government Oversight
Human Resources (vice chair) Public Safety Rebuild Iowa & Disaster Recovery (vice chair) |
| Polly Bukta | Clinton Co.
HD 26 |
Agriculture
Education Public Safety Veterans Affairs Ways and Means |
| Kerry Burt | Black Hawk Co.
HD 21 |
Labor
Local Government Public Safety (vice chair) Rebuild Iowa Transportation, Infrastructure & Capitals Appropriations |
| Dennis Cohoon | Des Moines Co.
HD 88 |
Appropriations
Education Local Government State Government Transportation Transportation & Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Gene Ficken | Buchanan Co.
HD 23 |
Education (vice chair)
Natural Resources Veterans Affairs Education Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Wayne Ford | Polk Co.
HD 65 |
Economic Growth
Education Government Oversight (vice chair) Judiciary Local Government |
| Marcie Frevert | Palo Alto Co.
HD 7 |
Agriculture
Environmental Protection State Government Ways and Means Administrative Rules Review (chair) Education Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Mary Gaskill | Wapello Co.
HD 93 |
Environmental Protection
Local Government (chair) Public Safety Rebuild Iowa Transportation Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Elesha Gayman | Scott Co.
HD 84 |
Administration and Rules (vice chair)
Agriculture Appropriations Environmental Protection Veterans Affairs |
| Lisa Heddens | Story Co.
HD 46 |
Appropriations
Education Human Resources Public Safety Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Bruce Hunter | Polk Co.
HD 62 |
Appropriations
Human Resources Labor Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Geri Huser | Polk Co.
HD 42 |
Judiciary
Local Government Rebuild Iowa |
| Chuck Isenhart | Dubuque Co.
HD 27 |
Labor
Local Government State Government Ways and Means Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee (vice chair) |
| David Jacoby | Johnson Co.
HD 30 |
Appropriations
Commerce Economic Growth Rebuild Iowa Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Jerry Kearns | Lee Co.
HD 92 |
Environmental Protection (vice chair)
Labor Veterans Affairs Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Doris Kelley | Black Hawk Co.
HD 20 |
Commerce
Economic Growth Education Transportation (vice chair) Ways and Means Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Bob Kressig | Black Hawk Co.
HD 19 |
Commerce (vice chair)
Environmental Protection Local Government (vice chair) Public Safety Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Mark Kuhn | Floyd Co.
HD 14 |
Appropriations
Public Safety Rebuild Iowa Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (vice |
| Vicki Lensing | Johnson Co.
HD 78 |
Environmental Protection
Government Oversight (chair) Judiciary State Government |
| Jim Lykam | Scott Co.
HD 85 |
Natural Resources
Public Safety (chair) Transportation Transportation & Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Larry Marek | Washington Co.
HD 89 |
Agriculture (vice chair)
Economic Growth Natural Resources Transportation Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (vice |
| Mary Mascher | Johnson Co.
HD 77 |
Education
Human Resources Labor State Government (chair) Veterans Affairs |
| Kevin McCarthy | Polk Co.
HD 67 |
Administration and Rules |
| Dolorez Mertz | Kossuth Co.
HD 8 |
Agriculture (chair)
Judiciary Natural Resources Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Helen Miller | Webster Co.
HD 49 |
Administration and Rules
Agriculture Economic Growth Environmental Protection Ethics (chair) |
| Pat Murphy | Dubuque Co.
HD 28 |
Administration and Rules |
| Jo Oldson | Polk Co.
HD 61 |
Appropriations (chair)
Commerce Judiciary |
| Donovan Olson | Boone Co.
HD 48 |
Commerce
Environmental Protection (chair) Local Government Transportation Ways and Means Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Rick Olson | Polk Co.
HD 68 |
Judiciary
Labor (chair) Public Safety Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Tyler Olson | Linn Co.
HD 35 |
Commerce
Ethics (vice chair) Human Resources Judiciary Rebuild Iowa Ways and Means (vice chair) Administrative Rules Review |
| Eric Palmer | Mahaska Co.
HD 75 |
Education
Ethics Judiciary (vice chair) Natural Resources Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee (vice chair) |
| Janet Petersen | Polk Co.
HD 64 |
Commerce (chair)
Human Resources Ways and Means |
| Brian Quirk | Chickasaw Co.
HD 15 |
Commerce
State Government Transportation (chair) |
| Mike Reasoner | Union Co.
HD 95 |
Administration and Rules
Agriculture Commerce Ways and Means |
| Nathan Reichert | Muscatine Co.
HD 80 |
Appropriations
Commerce Environmental Protection Public Safety Administrative Rules Review Transportation & Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Tom Schueller | Jackson Co.
HD 25 |
Economic Growth
Local Government Rebuild Iowa (chair) Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Paul Shomshor | Pottawattamie Co.
HD 100 |
Commerce
State Government Ways and Means (chair) Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Sharon Steckman | Cerro Gordo Co.
HD 13 |
Economic Growth
Education Human Resources Natural Resources Ways and Means Education Appropriation Subcommittee (vice chair) |
| Kurt Swaim | Davis Co.
HD 94 |
Appropriations
Economic Growth Government Oversight Judiciary (chair) |
| Dick Taylor | Linn Co.
HD 33 |
Commerce
Local Government Rebuild Iowa Veterans Affairs Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee (vice chair) |
| Todd Taylor | Linn Co.
HD 34 |
Appropriations
Labor Rebuild Iowa State Government Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Phyllis Thede | Scott Co.
HD 81 |
Economic Growth
Education Human Resources Natural Resources Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee (vice chair) |
| Roger Thomas | Clayton Co.
HD 24 |
Economic Growth (chair)
Rebuild Iowa Veterans Affairs Ways and Means Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Roger Wendt | Woodbury Co.
HD 2 |
Education (chair)
Human Resources State Government Transportation Ways and Means |
| Andrew Wenthe | Fayette Co.
HD 18 |
Agriculture
Appropriations (vice chair) Economic Growth Transportation Education Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Beth Wessel-Kroeschell | Story Co.
HD 45 |
Administration and Rules (chair)
Human Resources Judiciary Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee |
| John Whitaker | Van Buren Co.
HD 90 |
Administration and Rules
Environmental Protection Natural Resources Public Safety Transportation |
| Wes Whitead | Woodbury Co.
HD 1 |
Environmental Protection
Government Oversight Local Government Natural Resources State Government Veterans Affairs (vice chair) |
| Nate Willems | Linn Co.
HD 29 |
Education
Judiciary Labor (vice chair) State Government Ways and Means Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee |
| Cindy Winckler | Scott Co.
HD 86 |
Appropriations
Labor Local Government Education Appropriations Subcommittee (chair) |
| Ray Zirkelbach | Jones Co.
HD 31 |
Agriculture
Appropriations Natural Resources Veterans Affairs (chair) Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee |
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