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.

Responding to reports that victims of the 2008 floods who claimed certain deductions and exemptions on their state taxes will likely be forced to pay them back, Gov. Chet Culver said Wednesday he would do everything in his power to correct the problem as soon as possible.
Culver said he has directed the Department of Revenue [...]

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 [...]

An expansion of the state’s children health insurance program, changes to sex offender registry and tougher restrictions on pseudoephedrine sales are just a few of the new laws set to go into effect on Wednesday.
Most legislation that was passed during the 2009 General Assembly takes effect July 1, at the start of the 2010 fiscal [...]

A Polk County Judge’s order that the City of Des Moines refund a majority of the $12.6 million a year it has collected with a franchise fee since 2004 is “ironic,” Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said.
“It is ironic that just two weeks ago the state enacted legislation which memorializes Iowa cities’ right to collect [...]

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.

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.

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.