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Corn still fuels Iowa’s economy

Editorial

Corn production has been a key factor in the Iowa economy for more than 150 years. The state’s 21st-century economy is characterized by increasing diversity. Agriculture, however, remains a powerhouse. There can be little doubt that corn remains of critical importance. The renewable fuels industries have increased demand for corn as a critical ingredient in manufacturing ethanol. Ethanol production has not only increased demand for corn, but also strengthened corn’s already enormous importance to Iowa’s prosperity. Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production, with 52 percent of ...

Small town, big heart

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: As I sit down to type this letter on behalf of my family, two words come to my head and heart…love overflowing. Recently, I received the phone call that no parent wants to ever get. Within the next 20 minutes, I found out that the youngest of the two most precious people on Earth to me was gone from this world. When you become a parent, you try to instill in them the values that you hold dear: be kind, treat everyone with respect, help those in need, and find a career that makes you happy and want to go to said job each day. After that week, which in one respect was ...

Protecting the 2nd Amendment from government overreach

Local Columns

Earlier this month, I joined more than 120 of my colleagues in introducing H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. In 1791, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by Congress. One of our great Founding Fathers — James Madison — believed that the security and longevity of the American republic depended on free, well-armed citizens. The 2nd Amendment reads, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act harkens back to this deep-rooted, uniquely American ...

Hands-free proposal should be the law in Iowa

Editorial

We think Iowa lawmakers have yet another chance to make the state’s roads safer for everyone. How can they do that? By approving a bill that would prohibit drivers from using electronic devices unless they are in a hands-free mode. State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, first introduced the bill more than four years ago after hearing horror stories from people who were in crashes or nearly in crashes because another driver was using their phone instead of paying attention to the road. Meyer has now submitted the bill in four consecutive legislative sessions. And in each of the three ...

How a bill becomes a law

Local Columns

Week two has come to an end. We are settling in and getting down to work. The following is a quick rundown of the process a bill must go through during the session. Any legislator can have a bill drafted. Once the bill is drafted, it is delivered to the representative for final signature and approval, after which the bill is sent back to the Chief Clerk’s Office. The bill is then sent to the Speaker’s Office, where he assigns it to the appropriate committee. It is then introduced on the House floor. The committee chair, to which the bill is assigned, has the power to decide if ...

Committee work is increasing in the Iowa Senate

Local Columns

We are getting notices for more and more subcommittee meetings as we work on bills and proposals coming through our committees. Some of the topics worked on this week include the hands-fee bill discussed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, judicial issues and reforming county supervisor districts. While we work through the bills that come across our desks, please feel free to reach out if you have questions about legislation, concerns or any other issues that may be affecting you. This week a Senate subcommittee passed Senate Study Bill 1010, reforming the process for city employees and banning ...