Guest Columns
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At the beginning of the month, the Iowa Department of Education released statistics for this school year regarding how many Iowa families utilized the new Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to help pay for non-public school. The results already bust many of the myths told and quiet the fearmongering so widely repeated during the school choice debate last year. more
This week I will explain my continued opposition to the AEA bill.  Before I get into the why I oppose it, I want to acknowledge an opinion that has been nearly unanimous – there is room for improvement in our AEA system.  more
The third week of the session was full of subcommittee meetings to discuss several introduced bills. Within the past week, the committees have created almost 100 subcommittees for legislation, roughly half of the subcommittees for the session so far. We are finding rhythm, so meetings and floor discussions should pick up quickly. That said, I want to highlight a bill that I oversaw as a subcommittee chair. more
The third week of the Iowa 2024 legislative session was extremely successful. I had many meetings with different associations, and was able to start building House Republican’s budget for this upcoming year. more
The Senate moved SSB 3069 past the first step in the legislative process.  more
Iowa Federation of Republican Women members helped organize and run caucus gatherings in 1,670 precincts in 99 counties, and National Federation of Republican Women leaders traveled to be on the ground in the Des Moines area for the big night, Jan. 15. more
One of the topics we have been hearing a lot about is area education agencies (AEAs). I appreciate all the messages I have been getting from my constituents, teachers, administrators, and parents/grandparents on this issue that demonstrate a strong commitment to our kids. more
In December, the state collected $30,707,971 in casino gaming taxes. This is an increase of $2.3 million from what the state collected in December 2022. December is the first month in Fiscal Year 2024 when casino gaming tax revenue outpaced the previous year. Even with December’s growth, gaming tax collections continue to lag behind FY 2023’s receipts. For the first half of Fiscal Year 2024, the state has received $162.8 million in casino gaming taxes. This is a decline of $4.2 million over the same time period in Fiscal Year 2023. more
The Iowa Legislature had a busy second week of the session. This week was the deadline for senators and representatives to request individual bills and joint resolution drafts from the Legislative Services Agency. The LSA also provided the Overview of Budget Recommendations for the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, which I chair. more
We are all very focused on common-sense policies to help move our state forward and looking at more income tax cuts to help Iowa working families and small businesses. more
I’m writing to share why I have endorsed Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, why I committed to serve as her statewide co-chair, and why I will be caucusing for her on Jan. 15. more
We are so blessed in Iowa to have the first in the nation caucus.  All the world will be watching Iowa on the evening of Monday, Jan. 15, 2024!  The person who wins the Iowa caucus gets a huge boost going into the New Hampshire primary.  The people in Scott County have an opportunity to influence what goes on in the world with their vote on caucus night. more
I’m looking forward to Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucus and not just for the temporary reprieve from negative political ads. Due to the presidential preference card changes, Democrats will be getting back to basics and expanding opportunities to participate in candidate selection. more
The Scott County Board of Supervisors is being called to task over the refusal of a majority on the board to accept the report of a 3-person recount board in a closely contested Pleasant Valley School Board race. more
2023 will be in the top 15 for driest years according to the state’s 151 years of records. Despite ongoing record drought – we’ll end the year with 182 consecutive weeks of at least moderate (D1) drought somewhere in the state - Iowa farmers harvested yet another strong, better-than-expected crop. It’s a testament to timely rains throughout the growing season and constant innovation in genetics, traits, technology, practices, and much more. more
City leaders in Davenport seem to have forgotten that city government there belongs to the people. It does not belong to the folks who were elected to city offices. more
ESG stands for environmental, social, governance. Large corporate directors and business investors, with indirect input from the federal government, designate these scores based on how well the person or small business or company adheres to a number of policies, such as green, climate change-inspired policies, opposition to the use of fossil fuels, opposition to production agriculture, opposition to gun manufacture, beliefs about racial equity informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT), including anti-racism, white privilege, etc., support for abortion on demand and/or adherence to LGBT ideology. more
A consistent goal of mine in the Iowa Senate has been to increase Iowa’s competitiveness and make our state the best in the United States to live, work and raise a family. Recent surveys put Iowa at 40th for property taxes, making us one of the worst states in the country. more
I believe American families are strong, resilient and extraordinary. But that doesn’t mean they can’t use some help. After all, raising a family is not always easy. more
It was years ago that I heard about a woman who spent 6 or 7 days a week driving around the Quad City area collecting soon-to-be expired food from grocery stores. Of course being a history buff, and a person who has spent a career trying to find and share inspirational stories, I had to know more. more
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