Iowa Government News

Branstad is scheduled to sign the bill Thursday in Mason City. The location was selected to acknowledge two lawmakers from the region - Republican House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer and Democratic Sen. Amanda Ragan - who helped broker the final deal.

Superman is a hero -- an undocumented one at that. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, delivered a little humor to a luncheon crowd during the third day of the national LULAC conference at Caesar's Palace on Wednesday.

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend money to advocate for political candidates, it made clear that the Constitution does not prohibit laws requiring public reporting of corporate campaign spending.

By Staci DaSilva sdasilva@kcautv.com MidAmerican Energy says it hasn't raised your rates since 1995.

By Amanda Ragan The 2013 legislative session proved to be a landmark one for Iowans.

So, maybe you remember that long, costly, ugly court battle between Linn County Auditor Joel Miller and the Board of Supervisors over Miller's contention that his office should be able to audit county transactions and purchases? It made all the papers.

Gov. Terry Branstad, noting political opposition to raising the gas tax for road and bridge repairs, has started suggesting other sources of money.

One of the less glamorous, but expensive, actions taken by the Iowa Legislature prior to adjournment has to do with public pension funding.

Open letter to the governor regarding the Iowa Veterans Home: My name is Michael Croskey and I am the current president of the IVH Resident Council.

Efforts to limit payday lenders in Iowa have repeatedly failed in the Legislature, but more cities are approving zoning changes that make it harder to open the businesses.

A free mobile app for state parks, known as the Iowa State Parks & Recreation Guide, has been developed through the Iowa Parks Foundation.

Gov. Terry Branstad will this week sign legislation that expands low-income health care in Iowa.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- While University of Northern Iowa President William Ruud is looking forward to UNI's future, Ruud said he's also willing to review and potentially revive cut programs, "whether it's K-12 laboratory education or the baseball team."

The Iowa Communications Network -- best known to a generation of schoolchildren for its distance-learning hubs in classrooms across the state -- may see its image and function transformed in coming months as state leaders mull its sale or lease to a private company.

Gov. Terry Branstad sent letters this week to members of Iowa's U.S. House delegation, asking them to vote in favor of pending federal legislation to enable states to collect sales taxes from online retailers.

That's how, back in December, state Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, described Iowa's reluctance to pony up a $20.6 million match to claim an $87 million 2010 federal grant and finally construct the long dreamed-of passenger rail line from Chicago to Iowa City - and eventually on to Des Moines and Omaha.

Forty-three percent of Iowans believe that actions taken since widespread flooding in 2008 will prevent major flood damage to the state's cities in the future.

Gov. Terry Branstad welcomed Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci today at the Capitol, in an initial meeting that will lead to a longstanding relationship between Iowa and the southeast European country.

Iowa should have little problem gaining federal approval for its plan to provide health insurance to tens of thousands more poor adults, a top Iowa official said Wednesday.

Anti-abortion groups statewide have been working to make this license plate a reality for some nine years, Bourek said.