Stories

Republican legislative leaders Thursday suggested Iowa sell its lottery to the state public employee pension system instead of private investors.

Legislative leaders hope a bill can be on the governor’s desk by the end of the month.

In a Tuesday press conference, Culver announced a special task force that recommended nine new state employees.

Barb Finch, a former legislator from Story County, died Wednesday in a car crash on Interstate 35 near Albert Lea, Minn.
“Former Rep. Barb Finch was a remarkable public servant, leader and friend,” said House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen in a prepared statement. “Her passion for making this state a better place to live will be [...]

Top Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate told The Des Moines Register today that stoping union-backed legislative proposals will be a priority in the upcoming session, with shutting down the legislature entirely as one viable option.

Friday’s figures provide a snapshot of the projected revenue the state can expect for the rest of the 2008 fiscal year and the upcoming 2009 fiscal year. The falling revenue, combined with built-in spending increases set by lawmakers more than a year in advance, could create a budget shortfall that some predict could be as high as $500 million.

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,” [...]

A battle is raging between social conservatives and GOP moderates in Iowa, and at least for the time being, the conservatives are winning.

House Republicans today selected Rep. Kraig Paulsen to replace Rep. Christopher Rants as minority leader.
Sources confirmed this afternoon that Paulsen will take over the role that Rants has held since 2002, when he was selected as Speaker of the House. In the three elections since, however, Republicans have lost seats, going from a 54-to-46 majority [...]

Rep. Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, told The Des Moines Register this morning that he has asked his party to consider ousting current House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, and has offered himself as a replacement.
Paulsen, who was first elected to the House in 2002 and currently serves as the minority whip, told the paper that [...]