2,901 bills filed.

Nearly 30% more than last year.

With rising cancer rates, water concerns, underfunded schools, workforce shortages, and property tax questions…

Are we tackling Iowa’s biggest challenges or targeting bookmobiles? (Yes, bookmobiles.)

 In this week’s Deciding Iowa, we break down what survived funnel week and what that says about our legislative priorities.

Watch. Listen. Stay engaged.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #FunnelWeek #IowaPolitics #CivicEngagement

💧 Who pooped in the park?

Yes… we actually talk about that.

But underneath the humor is a serious issue: 58% of Iowans say water quality is a very serious problem. 72% say rising cancer rates are.

So what has the legislature actually done about it?

In Episode 13 of Deciding Iowa, we break down the four water bills that survived funnel week,  the good, the questionable, and the “number two, no-brainer.”

Because water isn’t a punchline. It’s our most vital resource.

🎧 Watch. Listen. Stay informed.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #WaterQuality #IowaPolitics #CivicEngagement

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Governor Limitations

Funnel week = fewer bills…but bigger questions.

What’s moving forward could reshape how Iowa is governed...from emergency powers to budget decisions.

🎧 Catch the latest Deciding Iowa episode.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #IowaNews #FunnelWeek #PublicPolicy #CivicEngagement #StayInformed

🚨 New Episode of Deciding Iowa 🚨

Annexing Illinois counties?
 Building an NFL stadium for the Chicago Bears?
 Rewriting higher education in Iowa?

Some bills feel like distractions.
 Others could reshape our state’s future.

This week, we break down what’s serious, what’s political theater, and why Iowa’s higher education system is more interconnected than it seems.

Because the real question isn’t just can we do these things, it’s should we?

🎥 Watch.
 🎧 Listen.
 💬 Stay informed.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #IowaPolitics #HigherEd #IowaFuture

 Deciding Iowa – Quick Hits Episode

Reducing vaccines in schools.

Reducing homeschool oversight and grading.

Allowing more guns on school grounds.

These aren’t hypothetical debates, they’re real bills moving through the Iowa Legislature right now.

As a physician and a scientist, we’re asking: Are these policies grounded in public health, safety, and evidence or politics?

Iowa families deserve thoughtful, fact-based decisions when it comes to our kids’ education and safety.

Watch the full episode. Stay informed. Stay engaged.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #PublicHealth #IowaSchools

🐄 Deciding Iowa – Season 2, Episode 9

Water should not be controversial.

In this episode, we break down House Study Bill 657 a bill that would make it harder for Iowa to designate polluted waterways as “impaired.”

What does that mean?

• More hoops for the DNR
 • Expensive, unrealistic requirements
 • Slower cleanup timelines
 • Fewer waterways officially listed
 • Not necessarily cleaner water

We can test whether contamination comes from humans or cows 🐄 
 but we can’t measure exact percentages the way this bill demands.

So what happens?
 The designation process slows.
 Budgets strain.
 Cleanup gets delayed.

Iowans deserve clean water and real solutions not roadblocks.

🎥 Watch Deciding Iowa and stay informed. Because the next generation is counting on the decisions we make today.

#DecidingIowa #WaterQuality #IowaLegislature #CleanWater #IowaPolitics

After 50+ years of recognizing marriage and the people in it as equal partners under the law, why are we reopening this door?

Senate File 2172 would allow couples to waive no-fault divorce at the time they apply for a marriage license. On paper it sounds like “choice.” In practice, it could make leaving a dysfunctional or unsafe marriage harder, costlier, and more dangerous.

Supporting families should never mean trapping people inside them.

Watch this week’s Deciding Iowa episode for the full discussion.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #KnowTheBills

If you care about Iowa schools, this episode is worth your time.

From classroom learning to school funding, Deciding Iowa takes a closer look at decisions already underway and what’s quietly (or not so quietly) changing in our schools.

Watch Season 2, Episode 7 and decide for yourself what deserves more attention.

🎥👇
#DecidingIowa #IowaEducation #StayInformed

🚨 Deciding Iowa Priorities: Lightning Round 🚨

💧 Shawn’s top legislative priority? Water.

Because without clean, safe water, we don’t have anything.
 Our health, our land, and our future depend on how we protect it.

This is the first in our Deciding Iowa Priorities short-form video series—quick insights between full episodes on what matters most now and for Iowa's future.

🎥 Watch this clip
 📺 Episode 7 drops later this week
👀 More Deciding Iowa priorities coming soon

Follow along and stay engaged. Informed Iowans make stronger decisions.

#DecidingIowa #IowaPriorities #CleanWater #IowaLegislature #PublicHealth #StayEngaged

Iowa lawmakers say one of their top priorities is keeping Iowa “safe.” But what does that actually mean and at what cost?

In Episode 6 of Deciding Iowa, Shawn and Emily take a closer look at the proposed three-strikes sentencing bill, including:

• What three-strikes laws were designed to do

• What history tells us about their real impact

• Iowa’s already-low violent crime rate

• Overcrowded prisons, budget gaps, and unintended consequences

With Iowa ranking among the safest states in the country, this conversation asks an important question:

 Are we solving real problems or reviving 1990s policies that don’t fit today’s data or realities?

This is a calm, fact-based discussion about safety, justice, and smart use of public resources worth a watch if you care about where Iowa is headed.

 Watch Episode 6 and decide for yourself.

#DecidingIowa #IowaLegislature #PublicSafety #CriminalJustice #IowaPolitics #PolicyOverPolitics #InformedIowans