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Health, human services work begins in state Capitol

This week, we started floor debate. Thursday, three bills were considered; two had unanimous support and one passed with bipartisan support. However, I did not support HF 144, a bill that extends the moratorium on new casinos in Iowa. The proponents of the bill said that Iowa’s gambling market is saturated, and any new casinos would cannibalize the existing casinos. I disagree, and now the passage of this bill prohibits the Racing and Gaming Commision from recommending new casino licenses for five years. This, in my opinion, is the definition of picking winners and losers. ...

Senate Republicans propose new funding for education

Last week, Senate Republicans released a funding proposal for the next school year, proposing a $235 million increase for K-12 students. The increase in state funding is in addition to the budget passed last year, meaning state aid for schools coming from the state budget is $4.2 million. It is also the same amount proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. Senate Study Bill 1053 continues our dedication to responsible budgeting and our commitment to Iowa students. It provides money for students going to public schools, students utilizing education savings accounts and students attending charter ...

Kersten family has contributed to Fort Dodge life since 1916

It has been 35 years since you could say, “There’s a Dr. Kersten in the house.” Back in 1990, Dr. Herb Kersten retired from Fort Dodge’s Kersten Clinic, which was formed by him and his two brothers, Paul and John, and their father, E.M. Kersten. His retirement ended 74 years of ...

Protecting the 2nd Amendment from government overreach

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 ...

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 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

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 ...