Stories

The Iowa Senate passed sweeping legislation by a 29-21 vote Wednesday evening that will ban smoking in bars and restaurants, outdoor sports arenas, casinos, veterans’ clubs and the state Veterans’ Home in Marshalltown.

The bill, which is stricter than legislation passed in the House last week, was approved mostly along party lines with most of its [...]

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Stewart Iverson, this week, announced the appointment of two campaign veterans to key posts within the party.

Joining the RPI are Caleb Hunter, who will run the day-to-day operations of the party as executive director, and Tim Albrecht, who will serve as communications director.

Hunter replaces former executive director Chuck Laudner, who [...]

Prasong Nurack, whose Thai restaurants in Des Moines and Iowa City were gathering places for politicians and presidential candidates for nearly 25 years, was appointed by a special commission last week to serve as a senator in his Southeast Asia homeland.

“It is a great honor, and we have much work to do,” said Nurack, who [...]

Statehouse Republicans joined Democrat Ed Fallon Monday to endorse a legislative package aimed at protecting the property rights of Iowans. The seven pieces of legislation would close loopholes that allow local governments to condemn property owned by private individuals and turn it over to developers.

The package of bills was unveiled at a press conference on [...]

Legislation that would ban smoking in most public places across the state was passed by a wide margin in the Iowa House on Tuesday evening after a nearly five-hour debate. The bill now awaits debate in the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

Gov. Chet Culver had said he would sign the statewide ban if it [...]

Gov. Chet Culver called on the legislature Monday to approve a series of health care initiatives that will improve access to health care while lowering costs to Iowans.

“We must expand access to health care, lower health care costs and work toward the goal of giving all Iowans access to the same quality health care guaranteed [...]

Farmers whose operations are incorporated would be banned from using cigarettes on their own property under a provision of the proposed smoking ban, according to an analysis of the bill prepared by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency.

House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, promised Thursday that his party will attempt to win an exemption for [...]

An expansion of the bottle-deposit law, a keystone of Gov. Chet Culver’s Condition of the State address earlier this year, was declared dead Thursday by Democratic leaders in the state legislature, who said the bill was unlikely to pass — or even to reach the floor for debate.

“When it was all said and done, I [...]

Iowa is on the cusp of becoming the “Silicon Valley of the Midwest,” and interest in developing businesses related to renewable fuels is high, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said Wednesday.

“We’ve made a good name for ourselves across the nation and around the world in terms of being very serious about job creation and leading the [...]

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver will hold a public ceremony on Tuesday to sign the new allowable growth bill, the first major legislation passed by the legislature this session. The ceremony will be held in Culver’s formal office at the statehouse at 3:30 p.m.

Lawmakers voted last week to increase the amount of state aid to schools [...]