Here First

Iowa’s House Education Committee heard from Iowans for and against the governor’s proposal to define men and women based on their sex at birth. House Republicans are proposing allowing teachers to carry guns on the job. And, 3rd District Congressman Zach Nunn is criticizing former President Donald Trump for his comments suggesting he wouldn’t protect NATO countries that don’t fulfill financial obligations.

Members of an immigrant rights group will meet with state lawmakers this morning to talk about some bills they say target immigrants in Iowa. Cultural organizations are making plans for what happens when some tax levies expire in a few years. And it’s not just you – it really has been cloudier than usual in the Midwest this winter.

Iowa lawmakers are taking feedback on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to merge systems that provide substance abuse and mental health services. City councils could take more control over public libraries under a bill in the Iowa House. And landowners are wary of plans to crisscross the Midwest with new carbon dioxide pipelines, even though they could help reduce emissions.

Immigrants’ rights groups rallied at the Iowa Statehouse yesterday, accusing Republicans of targeting undocumented immigrants. Gov. Reynolds’ proposal to improve reading scores is moving ahead, though some teachers don’t like a proposed required test on reading instruction. And there’s an effort underway to create a Black historical district in Waterloo.

A bill that would direct government bodies in Iowa to identify people by their sex at birth has advanced in the Iowa House. Another bill saying schools could not punish someone for using the wrong names or pronouns for a teacher or student has passed the House Education Committee. And, lawmakers observed moments of silence Tuesday to honor former Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey, who died earlier this week.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says she plans to send Iowa state troopers to the U.S. southern border for a third time. The governor’s proposal to extend Medicaid pregnancy coverage to 12 months is getting overwhelming support in the legislature. And, former Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey has died at 64.

Police in Perry say threats made against the school district over the weekend were “not credible.” Ft. Dodge might add a franchise fee to utility bills to help pay for more police officers. And, the loss of young, highly-educated people remains a problem for many parts of the Midwest.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has filed a bill that would require transgender Iowans to have their sex assigned at birth shown on their ID. Republicans in charge of the Iowa House and Senate tax committees have released a plan to eventually eliminate the state income tax. And Kate Grumke from Harvest Public Media reports on what early adopters of all-electric school buses think so far.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ scaled back overhaul of Iowa’s Area Educational Agencies is advancing in at least one legislative chamber. A bill that would have reduced legal protections for transgender Iowans is not moving ahead. And Iowa State University celebrates world-famous agricultural scientist and alum George Washington Carver today.

Smuggling people would be a new crime in Iowa under a bill advancing at the Statehouse. Iowa Democrats are proposing a number of bills to protect abortion rights, expand access to birth control, and extend postpartum Medicaid coverage. And, a Mason City native who has led the national League of Women Voters for the past four years has died.