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Local Columns

How a bill becomes a law

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 ...

Committee work is increasing in the Iowa Senate

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 ...

House of Representatives gets started for 2025

The first week of the legislative session is traditionally filled with ceremony, and this year was no different. House members were sworn in Monday morning; seat selection in the chamber was in the afternoon. Tuesday evening, Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered the Condition of the State address. Our ...

Beginning a new legislative session

Welcome to the first Minute with Mike of our first session of the 91st General Assembly. First of all, I want to thank you! The citizens of House District 7, (Calhoun, Pocahontas, Sac counties and the western side of Webster County) for this unbelievable opportunity to serve you in this ...

Private equity’s harmful effect on health care

Q: What prompted your bipartisan investigation into private equity’s stake in hospital ownership? A: In the last Congress, I launched a bipartisan inquiry to dig into the impact that private equity ownership of hospitals has had on patient care and rural health care. Specifically, my ...

What is insurance fraud?

According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF), insurance fraud costs consumers an estimated $308.6 billion annually in the United States, translating into roughly $900 per consumer due to increased premiums caused by fraudulent claims. Insurance fraud is any act of deception or ...