Stories

Moderate- and low-income Iowans pay a greater share of their income in state and local taxes than the rich do, according to a new report from two non-partisan research organizations.

In announcing his candidacy for governor, 32-year-old Christian Fong has managed to shake up an already contentious Republican battle to unseat Gov. Chet Culver.
With no formal political experience, Fong’s positions on the issues are still a mystery to most voters. Unlike his GOP competition, who have endured numerous campaigns and been thoroughly vetted, Fong is [...]

Despite some efforts to cast the long nights at the capitol this weekend as a sneaky way for Democratic leaders to push through their agenda, no major policy surprises emerged from the waning hours of the 2009 legislative session.

With an end to the 2009 legislative session in sight, Republicans are warning supporters that several contentious bills involving labor protections and tax code changes are not as dead as it once seemed.

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.

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.

DES MOINES — Wednesday’s “tea party” protest at the state capitol did not actually involve much tea, but it gave a wide variety of conservative constituencies a soapbox to voice their concerns. The crowd, numbering around 700 people, brandished placards of all kinds, ranging in subjects from immigration to global warming to the Federal Reserve.

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, [...]

Republican state Rep. Christopher Rants will once again attempt to force a vote on a same-sex marriage ban Tuesday, this time by attaching it to a Democratic tax bill.
Last week Rants tried to attach a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage to the state’s Health and Human Services budget, but the move was ruled out of [...]

With legislators working to adjourn the 2009 session as quickly as possible, conservative groups with a long list of grievances will gather all week trying to make their voices heard.