A lot just moved at the Iowa Capitol… but what does it actually mean?

In today’s Deciding Iowa, we break down a few key bills that just passed:

 ➡️ More time for legislative planning (60 days vs. 45)
 ➡️ Counties restricted from issuing ID cards
 ➡️ New 5-year rule reviews for state agencies
 ➡️ Faster infrastructure upgrades for water & utilities

Some aim for efficiency.
Some raise real questions.
All have impact.

This is just a snapshot of what’s happening right now under the golden dome.

🎥 Watch the latest episode and decide for yourself.

Because policy isn’t just process…
 it shapes how Iowa works...for all of us.

#DecidingIowa #IowaPolicy #StayInformed #CivicEngagement

When access gets tighter…voices matter more.

In Episode 28 of Deciding Iowa, we take a closer look at House File 2563, a bill that could:
➡️ Restrict telehealth access for early pregnancy care
➡️ Create additional barriers for rural and working Iowans
➡️ Shift how healthcare is accessed across the state

This is a personal healthcare right between a patient and her doctor, and one that deserves attention. Limiting options in our amazing rural areas should not be the Iowa way.

📞 Now is the time to reach out to your legislator and make your voice heard: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find

🎥 Watch Repro Restrictions
👉 Get informed. Stay engaged. Decide for yourself.

#IowaPolitics #DecidingIowa #YourVoiceMatters

Healthcare in Iowa right now?

Some steps forward…and some real gaps.

In Episode 27 of Deciding Iowa, we break down what’s happening at the Statehouse:

⬆️ The highs:

✔️ A bill allowing pregnant minors to consent to their own labor and delivery care

✔️ Reforms to insurance authorizations to speed up care and reduce unnecessary denials

⬇️ The lows:

❗ A bill allowing providers to refuse care based on conscience

❗ No real progress on water quality

❗ Ongoing healthcare workforce shortages

❗ Little action to improve affordability or keep rural clinics open

Because healthcare isn’t abstract.

It’s access, cost, and care, right here in our communities.

🎥 Watch Episode 27: Healthcare Highs and Lows

👉 Then decide for yourself.

💬 What are you seeing when it comes to healthcare in Iowa right now?

👍 Follow, share, and help more Iowans stay informed

📲 Also available on YouTube and podcast platforms

#DecidingIowa #IowaHealthcare #IowaPolicy #RuralHealth #StayInformed

We’re not saying it’s Skynet…

…but we are saying AI making calls on local budgets should raise some eyebrows. 🤖

Episode 26 breaks down:
 ➡️ A $1M+/year AI tool to analyze local spending
 ➡️ The risk of decisions being reduced to numbers
 ➡️ And what happens when context gets left out

Also:
 👏 A real bipartisan win on child care assistance

So yes—progress and questions… in the same episode.

🎥 Watch “Skynet”
 👉 Decide for yourself.

Because not everything that counts… can be counted.

#DecidingIowa #IowaPolitics #AI #Leadership

When the levee breaks… you don’t ignore the cracks.

In Episode 25 of Deciding Iowa, we break down a state budget that:
➡️ Spends ~$9.6 billion
➡️ Brings in closer to ~$8.5 billion
➡️ And keeps us on track for a third straight year of ~$1 billion deficits

🎸 “If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break…” from When the Levee Breaks

That’s not just a lyric, it’s a warning.

Leaders are calling this budget “responsible” and “sustainable”…
…but it relies on surplus funds that won’t last.

At some point, the math catches up.
At some point, the pressure builds.
At some point… the levee breaks.

🎥 Watch Episode 25: When the Levee Breaks
👉 Then decide for yourself.

Because budgets aren’t just numbers…
they’re choices about the future of Iowa.

#IowaPolitics #IowaPolicy #DecidingIowa #BudgetsMatter

🧟‍♂️ Zombieland at the Capitol?

Some bills may be “dead”…but in Iowa, they don’t always stay that way.

In Episode 24 of Deciding Iowa, we break down how library-related legislation, stopped earlier in the session, has resurfaced through an amendment that has nothing to do with the original bill.

➡️ Requires book-by-book review of materials before minors can access them
➡️ Shifts control away from local library boards
➡️ Removes professional standards and accreditation
➡️ Adds major responsibilities… with no funding

All introduced late in the game, limiting debate and public input.

It’s complicated. It’s fast-moving. And it matters.

We’re here to help make sense of it.
🎥 Watch “Zombieland” and decide for yourself.

📌 Follow along as we track what happens next.

#Zombieland #DecidingIowa #IowaPolitics #PublicPolicy #LeavePublicLibrariesAlone #PublicLibrariesRock 

We might be a little upside down…but the issues aren’t.

In Episode 23 of Deciding Iowa, we break down a bill that:
➡️ Went from introduction to law in just 12 days
➡️ Raises taxes on HMOs
➡️ Could increase health insurance costs for Iowans

At one point, we realized our background was literally upside down… and honestly, it felt a little symbolic. 😅

Are we low budget? Yes.
Do we care deeply and do our homework? Also yes.

We’re here volunteering our time to make sense of fast-moving decisions that impact real people. Thanks for watching and listening.

🎥 Watch “HMO Conundrum” and decide for yourself.

After the 2nd funnel, we talked about what’s still alive…

Now it’s time for what didn’t make it.

And remember, nothing truly dies at the Capitol. It can always come back in another form. Nothing truly ever dies.

In Episode 22, we break down:
👍 Bills we wish were still moving forward
• Transparency for data center energy + water use
• Local solar investment options for Iowans
• Stronger oversight of puppy mills

…and

😮‍💨 Bills that stalled (and we’re not losing sleep over)
• Rolling back school immunization requirements
• Expanded restrictions on classroom content
• Limits involving libraries and schools
• New liabilities for universities tied to student loans

The funnel narrows the field…but it also reveals priorities.

Take a few minutes and stay informed ⬇️
#DecidingIowa #IowaPolicy

After the 2nd legislative funnel, some bills are gone…
and some are very much still alive.

🎶 Yes… we went there.

In Episode 21 Quick Hits, we break it down:
✔️ Investments in pediatric cancer research
✔️ Mental health care access
✔️ Radon mitigation in new homes
…and

⚠️ Bills impacting vaccines, higher ed, and executive authority

The list of what made it through tells a story and what’s still moving forward will shape what comes next.

👍 The good
🤔 The concerning
👀 The ones to keep watching

Take a few minutes and stay informed ⬇️
#DecidingIowa #IowaPolicy

🚢 “Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.”

That might be the best way to describe where Iowa property tax reform is headed right now.

The House has its plan.
The Senate has a different one.
The Governor has another.

And the impact? Still unclear.

💬 Lower taxes or fewer local resources?
💬 Simpler system or more confusion?

🎥 Watch Episode 20 of Deciding Iowa for a quick breakdown then tell us what matters most to you.