Last week, the Senate released our proposal on property tax relief, with Iowans as its focus. It implements limitations to rein in spending and growth of government, eliminates the rollback to help provide more certainty and transparency, and provides a permanent 50 percent taxable value ...

We are back at the Capitol in Des Moines and the legislative session has officially started. The first week is always busy with speeches from legislative leaders, the governor, the chief justice and the adjutant general. Senate Republicans are proud of the progress our state continues to ...

As a lifelong Iowan and proud representative of one of the most productive agricultural districts in the country, I will always stand up for Iowa farmers and our rural communities. Since my first day in office, I have been committed to delivering real results for the farmers who feed and fuel ...

Say it with me: Ugh. Budget season. It’s January, which means it’s time for us to review the budget. What does that mean? Well, it’s mostly quiet work that happens over time, with a lot of reviewing, questioning, and weighing options. It also brings close attention from the public, ...

It was Christmas Eve. The gifts were laid beneath the Christmas tree at the home of Merlin and Nelda Powers in Urbandale. But the family’s holiday celebration ended abruptly that day in 1968 when the Powerses’ 10-year-old daughter Pamela disappeared from the YMCA in downtown Des Moines ...

From the time in 1856 when Fort Dodge pioneer Conrad Laufersweiler conducted his first funeral service to the present day when his descendants Mark and Luke Laufersweiler continue the family business, there’s been an underlying theme. When the brothers succeeded their uncle Joe ...