State Government
Lt. Gov. Judge as IDP chair?
Civic Skinny, the political gossip column published every week in Des Moines’ alternative newsweekly (Cityview), says sources inside the Iowa Democratic Party expect Lt. Gov. Patty Judge to become the party’s next chair.
The idea, Skinny says, is that the move would bolster Gov. Chet Culver’s standing leading up to his re-election bid in 2010.
Culver asks state departments to cut budgets
Gov. Chet Culver is asking state departments to come up with ways Iowa can trim $30 to $40 million from its budget, The Des Moines Register reported today.
The state was expecting to finish its budget year in June with $85 million in the general fund, but projections now show that number to be around $15 [...]
Behind Nebraska’s abandoned kids, a national shortage of mental health care
The state of Nebraska faces a situation most parents can’t comprehend. At last count 34 children, ranging in age from 20 months to 17 years, have been left at Nebraska hospitals under the auspices of a vaguely written “Safe Haven” law.
McKinley to lead Iowa Senate Republicans
The shrunken Republican caucus in the Iowa Senate has elected State Sen. Paul McKinley of Chariton as its new Minority Leader, ousting State Sen. Ron Wieck.
McKinley ran for the post last year, but Wieck defeated him. Shortly after his victory last year, Wieck told the Iowa Independent that he planned to contrast Republican and Democratic [...]
Female representation unchanged by election results
Overall, women will maintain 23 percent representation across both legislative branches — the highest Iowa has ever had.
Would you like a ticket to go with that turkey?
Iowa law enforcement agencies plan traffic crack down Nov. 24 to 30
The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau announced today that more than 300 law enforcement agencies across the state will be mobilized in a a multi-jurisdictional traffic sting during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Mobilized officers will focus this year — as they have in past years [...]
Complications could push legislative recount into new year
The battle over state House District 1 between Democrat Wes Whitead and Republican Jeremy Taylor could drag on into January, according to a report by Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson.
The General Assembly reconvenes on Jan. 13.
The recount is scheduled to start today, but there are obstacles that may slow down the process.
Study: Iowa facing $350 million budget shortfall
A majority of states, including Iowa, are facing budget gaps totaling $66 billion in the 2009 fiscal year, according to a study by The New York Times.
Rants warns GOP against being exclusionary
In an interview with the Sioux City Journal, state Rep. Christopher Rants, who was recently ousted from his position as House Minority Leader, said that as the Republican Party of Iowa tries to craft its message in the future it must work to become more inclusive.
“You have to enlarge the pie and the voting bloc,” [...]
Gronstal: Changes in labor law likely
During a taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” today, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said the expanded Democratic majorities would revisit changes to the state’s labor laws.