Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst both made comments this week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. more

Q: Why did you convene a Judiciary Committee hearing about 23andMe? more

Brenna Bird and the Trump administration apparently don’t see eye to eye when it comes to what constitutes hindering the enforcement of federal immigration laws. At least not when it comes to one northeast Iowa county. more

Last week, the Pentagon accepted the emir of Qatar’s gift of a Boeing 747, a $400 million bauble donated for our president to enjoy by a monarch whose family has ruled the tiny Mideast nation for more than a century. more

Travel insurance safeguards your investment in a costly trip by covering unexpected events that could disrupt your plans.  It can reimburse pre-paid, non-refundable expenses for unforeseen circumstances.  Consider purchasing a policy if there is a chance the trip could be impacted by severe weather, a loved one has a pre-existing health condition, or non-refundable expenses have already been incurred.  Before purchasing a policy, understand the different coverage options, exclusions, and limitations, as policies vary significantly.  Check current insurance policies and credit card protections for coverage already provided.  more

Wow, what an adventure the voters of Scott, Clinton, and Jackson County sent my wife (served as clerk) and me on. We went to work immediately on Day 1 and on Day 2, I gave my first floor speech entitled “School Finance 101” about why 2% SSA was a property tax hike for local communities. As bills came up, I reviewed the lobbyist declarations to determine where different groups stood on the issues. Following the old cliché of “trust, but verify,” I made personal calls and sent emails to our local elected officials, business owners, and impacted constituents to ensure that I was representing their interests. As your voice in the Iowa Senate, I gave support protecting the 5th Amendment regarding the limitations of eminent domain, and after much research and personal phone calls, I voted against the pesticide bill as it would hurt the farmers, and their heirs, should they be unfortunate enough to incur non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I voted to provide an even business model for our local pharmacies. In summary, I continue to educate myself in areas in which I do not have much background and provide real-life examples in areas that I do. I will continue to answer emails and attend multiple events throughout the year as your State Senator.  more

Americans check their phone on average 205 times a day or around once every five minutes. With phones seldom out of reach, it can be difficult to moderate usage in an increasingly connected world. For many people, this habit can persist even when behind the wheel, but the distraction it provides can have real consequences. more

Almost two weeks after our scheduled finish, the legislative session officially concluded. It was a busy end to the session as we worked on several major issues and priorities to finish the year. more

Rest assured, Iowa. Republicans in Des Moines have heard your concerns about high prices, and they’re doing something about it. more

House Republicans released their spending plans for Fiscal Year 2026 on Monday afternoon (April 28), once again committing to moving forward a responsible, conservative budget for Iowa.  The plan spends $9.453 billion starting on July 1.  This represents an increase of $505 million over the current year.   more

Did you know today is the targeted date to end the 2025 legislative session? In odd numbered years, legislators stop receiving per diem pay after 110 days, and May 2 (today) is day 110. We are allotted ten extra days in odd numbered years (per diem lasts 100 days in even years), but even with the extra ten days to get our work done in 2025 we’re still not finished. In a sporting event, the prospect of overtime can be thrilling. It means you’re watching a particularly close and entertaining game with evenly matched competitors and tense action. In the world of state politics, however, overtime indicates disarray and inaction, disagreement and delays. more

May 2 marked the final scheduled day of the 2025 legislative session, but lawmakers are heading into overtime to finalize budget agreements and address remaining issues. The Senate met Monday and Tuesday to advance key bills, either sending them to the governor’s desk for signature or to the House for consideration upon its return. more

I cannot express how excited I was to read the headline of the Governor’s Early Childhood and PreK bill (SF445) for what I was hoping would provide funding for all day 4-year-old preschool. This was especially encouraging knowing that Iowa has nearly $100M in the Child Care Development Fund. All day 4-year-old preschool was a top legislative priority for the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) and as a former member of the Central DeWitt School Board supported. Unfortunately, the old adage, “the devil is in the details” quickly emerged as each division of the bill provided clarity. more

Session is beginning to wind down. As we look for agreement on tax and spending issues, we continue to work on important piece of policy legislation that has a positive impact on a lot of folks back home. I continue to appreciate feedback from everyone. The more than 15 Listening Posts/Forums we hosted were also helpful. Despite a very few who interrupted, shouted, and tried to politicize them, the vast majority of you gave me opinions and ideas that I carry with me. Many of your ideas make their way into legislation. more

Taxes on gambling continued their downward trend in March as revenue from both casino wagering and sports wagering. more

This week a bill I have been pushing for years finally got passed by both Chambers and is sitting on the Governor’s desk.  For firefighters and police officers in the 411 system, this bill provides full cancer coverage.  These individuals work in extremely stressful and dangerous environments yet in code they were only covered for 14 different kinds of cancer.  We all know there are dozens and dozens of varieties of cancer and its unacceptable we had officers and firefighters not getting coverage for cancers that their job may have caused. I have championed this bill for years and I am thrilled we are finally getting it done.  more

The late newspaper columnist Bill Wundram of the Quad-City Times in Davenport wrote seven days a week for 31 years. Many of his columns, highlighting a wide variety of concerns in his home community, included the refrain, “Is anybody there? Does anybody care?” more

As the 91st Iowa Legislative Session begins to wind down, the financial situation for FY26 (the fiscal year that begins on July 1) is becoming clearer. Gov. Reynolds and Senate Republicans have each proposed an approximate $9.4B expense budget. Meanwhile, the Iowa March Revenue Estimating Committee stated that Iowa will collect $8.5B to pay for the budget. more

During the 13th week of the legislative session, lawmakers focused on debating bills that made it past the final legislative deadline. With just one month remaining, the focus now turns to passing Iowa’s state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. more

Iowa’s economy had its strongest months in three years, according to a Creighton University survey.  The duration of the move into positive territory is unknown with impact of new tariffs acting as a wildcard. more