Stories

County recorders do not have the authority to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.

Not only is Gov. Chet Culver and his staff committed to working with legislators, but Lt. Gov. Patty Judge spoke with a Democratic leader the night before concerns were made public that the relationship had soured, the governor’s press secretary told the Iowa Independent.

The sometimes-strained relationship between Gov. Chet Culver and Democratic lawmakers is nothing new, but it may be getting worse. Today legislative leaders said the governor’s refusal to work with them has brought the legislative session to a grinding halt.

On a 91-3 vote, the Iowa House passed a a stripped-down version of a health-reform bill passed by the Senate last month.

Members of the legislative leadership are sounding a familiar refrain: They have made it clear they would like to get out of town this week. But with a long list of bills still sitting unresolved, and with a presidential visit coming up soon, adjourning early could prove difficult.

Democrats hope to put the finishing touches on a $700 million bonding proposal in the final days of the 2009 session, as three separate bills make their way through the process.

Several Democratic lawmakers told The Des Moines Register that a tax plan that includes ending federal deductibility is most likely dead this session.
It’s better if lawmakers reconsider the tax plan when the next session begins in January so that Iowans have more time to digest how it would affect the state, said Rep. Doris Kelley, [...]

Two of Gov. Chet Culver’s appointments to state posts — one to head the Department of Human Services and the other to serve on the Iowa Power Fund Board — were voted down in the Iowa Senate today.

County recorders who refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples would be exempt from prosecution or civil penalties under an amendment filed by Republican state Sen. Merlin Bartz of Grafton.

As Iowa Republicans battle to force debate on a bill that would overturn the Supreme Court’s decision voiding a ban on same-sex marriage,  New York Gov. David Patterson plans to introduce a bill doing just the opposite in the Empire State, the New York Times reports.
If passed, New York would become the fifth state in [...]