DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds joined 52 governors representing states, commonwealths, and territories in opposition to Legislative Proposal 480 submitted by the Department of Defense to the Senate Armed Services Committee. The proposed legislation, LP 480, would unilaterally move covered Air National Guard units to the newly established U.S. Space Force. The National Governors Association letter, signed by 52 of the 53 members, argues that the proposal disregards gubernatorial authorities regarding the National Guard and undermines over 100 years of precedent as well as national security and ..read more

Weeks before the spring warmth began thawing the soil, farmers across Iowa felt the itch to get in the fields. As a lifelong family farmer on our fourth-generation, Northeastern Iowa farm, I know how tempting it is to get a head start on spring planting. I also understand the realities farmers face to weather all kinds of uncertainties, from the whims of Mother Nature, to avian flu and variable costs of equipment, seeds and fertilizers. Market volatility hinges on supply and demand and so many factors outside a farmer’s control: interest rates and land prices, pandemic ..read more

(The Center Square) – Iowa taxpayers will pay a 3.8% flat income tax rate a year earlier than expected as part of a tax bill passed by lawmakers during the 2024 legislative session.  The flat tax was scheduled to go into effect in the 2026 tax year as part of a package passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2022. The bill was opposed by Democrats who said in late Friday night debates that 500,000 Iowans who are required to pay state income tax are not considered. “Everyone deserves tax relief,” said State Rep. David Jacoby, D-Coralville. “Everyone d ..read more

Iowa’s legislature continued the tax cut momentum, by passing the fourth round of income tax reforms in recent years. This new legislation will push Iowa’s personal income tax down to a single, flat rate of 3.8 percent in 2025, delivering more than $1 billion of tax relief over the next six years. Further, the legislature passed two important taxpayer protections, which include a two-thirds majority requirement of both houses of the legislature to approve an income tax increase and an amendment protecting the flat tax, which would prohibit a future legislature from reinstating a ..read more

The current surge in illegal immigration and the trafficking of dangerous substances such as fentanyl has become a national emergency that has directly impacted Iowa. The numbers are startling; Iowa currently houses more than 50,000 illegal immigrants, and since President Biden took office, over 9 million individuals, including 1.8 million “got-aways,” have crossed our borders. This influx surpasses the population of 36 different states, including our own. However, the crisis extends beyond just numbers. Alongside the surge in illegal immigration, we’ve witnessed a disturbing increase in crime ..read more

DES MOINES, Iowa — Attorney General of Iowa Brenna Bird on Thursday joined a 15-state coalition in a letter to Bank of America, demanding that it stop shutting down bank accounts for those it disagrees with. Bank of America, the nation’s second largest bank, has denied services to gun manufacturers, fossil fuel producers, and contractors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bird’s office states that the bank also voluntarily cooperated with the FBI and U.S. Treasury Department to label conservative and religious Americans as potential domestic terrorists. The letter demands that Bank ..read more

Economists Richard Vedder and Lowell Gallaway contend that “the seven years from the autumn of 1922 to the autumn of 1929 were arguably the brightest period in the economic history of the United States.” This decade is often described as the “Roaring Twenties” or “Coolidge Prosperity” for the significant economic growth and entrepreneurship that occurred. It is also a decade of controversy, and many economists and historians continue to debate whether or not the seeds of the Great Depression were sown as a result of the reckless economic policies of the 1920s. Regardless, the economic evidence ..read more

(The Center Square) – An Iowa man is challenging a decades-old provision that designates a portion of his land as “wetlands” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and prevents its use. The nonprofits Liberty Justice Center and the Pacific Legal Foundation are filing a lawsuit on behalf of Iowa farmer Jim Conlan, owner of CTM Holdings, LLC. Conlan owns 1,075 acres of farmland. Nine acres of a 71-acre tract are designated as wetlands by the USDA. The “Swampbuster” law passed in 1985 as part of the Food Security Act prevents farmers from using what is designated as wetlands to grow crops. If they ..read more

Personal responsibility and accountability are virtues fundamental to any functioning society. Everyone makes decisions based on different goals and aspirations, and we are all ultimately responsible for the choices that we make. Yet, contrary to common sense, President Biden has decided that people who signed paperwork to take out student loans and have a legal and financial obligation to repay them are entitled to debt forgiveness at the expense of American taxpayers. As a result, the Biden administration has, to date, forgiven roughly $146 billion in student-loan debt. This is not only an i ..read more

(The Center Square) – Iowa voters could decide if income tax law changes need approval of two-thirds of the Legislature. House Joint Resolution 2006 passed the Senate, 31-13, last week after receiving approval from the House of Representatives last month by a 61-35 vote. The legislation would ask the voters if they want to add the change to the state’s constitution. Senate Democrats argued against the bill during the debate, saying it would hurt lower-income Iowans. “Iowans, you better hold on to your wallet and your purses because this bill is about freezing income taxes for the wealthy,” sai ..read more