Highlights in this edition:

• Revenue Estimating Conference Makes Slight Adjustments to Forecasts for Fiscal Year 2023 & 2024
  • While inflation has started to slightly cool off, so has consumer spending
• Open Enrollment—What Changed?
  • One form of parental choice in education has already been enacted over the last two sessions
• Medicaid Public Health Emergency – Is There No End in Sight?
  • For the last two and a half years, the federal government has prevented states from disenrolling ineligible Medicaid members which has resulted in an estimated 100,000 ineligible Iowans receiving free health insurance
• Iowa Top Job Postings
  • With 4,664 openings, registered nurses are the most in demand profession
• Happy New Year and Happy Tax Cuts

Iowans will see lower income tax rates and tax free retirement income in 2023 thanks to Republicans

• Taxpayer Relief Fund – Why Iowa is not Kansas
  • What is the Taxpayer Relief Fund and how does work?
• Iowa Leads Entire Nation in New Apprenticeships
  • The number of Iowans taking part in Aprrencships has never been higher
• Massive 2A Victory on Election Night
• • Turns out Iowans like their constitutional rights
• Midterm Election Continues Iowa’s Streak of High Voter Turnout
  • High turnout, strong security, reliable election results

Highlights in this edition:

• October Revenue – Strong
  • Overall, state revenue continues to run ahead of projections
• Democrat’s Energy Policies Continue to Hurt Consumers
  • Thanks to the Biden Administration, U.S. household spending is expected to increase for all heating fuels this winter including natural gas (28%), heating oil (27%), electricity (10%) and propane (5%)
• Iowa Department of Education Releases New School Performance Results
  • This is an important tool for parents, educators and other stakeholders to understand how their schools are performing
• Where Do They Come Up With My Property Tax Bill?
  • Iowa limits the amount property assessments can increase year over year

Highlights in this edition:

• Iowa’s Economy Still Showing Signs of Strength
  • Iowa’s economy remains strong, even with all the missteps taken by the Biden administration
• $29 Million Provided to EMS in Iowa
  • Based on legislation by the House, emergency medical services received an additional $29 million to 67 EMS locations in Iowa
• Firearms Rights on the Ballot in November
  • It is now up to Iowans to decide if firearms rights belong in the Iowa Constitution

Highlights in this edition:

• September Revenue Grows as Final Numbers for FY 2022 Show a Very Strong Economy in Iowa
  • Iowa’s strong economy is currently bucking the inflationary headwinds created by the Biden administration
• Fiscal Year 2022
  • The September revenue report indicated the state collected $1.0028 billion more higher than what the state collected in Fiscal Year 2021
• Supporting Children in Foster Care
  • The upper age of foster care changed from 18 to 21 to ensure these foster youth are able to have adequate supports as they transition to adulthood

Highlights in this edition:

• Utility Bills Increase as Winter Approaches
  • Biden and the D.C. Democrats have consistently discouraged the extraction of domestic resources, driving energy costs and inflation even higher
• Free Speech on Regent Campuses
  • “If we give people the opportunity to talk, they will.”
• Election Day Preparedness
  • Absentee ballot requests must be received by the County Auditor’s office by 5:00 pm October 24
• How Your Home Is Assessed (and what to do if you don’t like it)!
  • The law in Iowa is that assessed value is market value

Highlights in this edition:

• Regents FY 2024 Funding Requests Includes Changes to Funding Projects
  • The Regents are proposing a significant change to the way bond debt is currently managed
• House Republicans Prioritize Child Care for Working Families
  • SF 619 doubled the income eligibility for Iowans receiving the child dependent and development tax credit
• The Truth About Iowa’s Firearms Laws and Background Checks
  • Background checks are required for long gun and hand gun purchases
• DNR Pheasant Survey Predicts a Repeat of Last Year’s Excellent Hunting for Most of Iowa
  • The highest counts came from southwest Iowa, followed by the south-central region

Highlights in this edition:

• Natural Gas Prices Signal Higher Utility Bills this Winter
  • Democrats have consistently discouraged the extraction of domestic resources, driving energy costs and inflation even higher
• Open Enrollment—What Changed?
  • Parents and guardians can choose to apply for open enrollment at any time without needing to meet a good cause requirement
• Website Features One-Stop Shop for Education Outcomes Data
  • 92% of community college students who completed a credit program became employed in their first year post-graduation
• DNR Notes that Iowa’s Dove Hunting Season Begins September 1
  • Runs through November 29, shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset, daily bag limit is 15
• Property Tax Freeze for Low Income Iowans Age 70 and Over
  • The first year will act as the base amount for the property tax freeze

In this edition:

• Parent Appeal Denied on Controversial “Gender Queer” Book in School Library
  • Without specific structural process changes, parents can do everything right, yet still lose to an education bureaucracy tilted against parents
• Learning Loss Due to School Shutdowns
  • The first priority of House Republicans upon returning to the Statehouse in January of 2021 was to get kids physically back into school
• Iowa Continues to Combat Opioid Abuse
  • The Legislature established an Opioid Settlement Fund, which receives the state’s share of legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors
• Bloomberg Study Shows Iowa’s Strong Ballot Security

The study also showed that while Iowa is strong at election security, it hasn’t been at the expense of the ease of voting

Highlights in this edition:

• School Funding Overview
  • Since Republicans gained a majority in the Iowa House after the 2010 election school funding has increased 54 percent
• Parental Choice, School Transparency Key to House GOP Efforts
  • Teachers are responsible to post instructional material and parents are responsible to review it
• Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Drops to Pre-Pandemic Rate of 2.6 Percent in June
  • The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,665,500 in June
• Head of Governor’s School Safety Bureau Named
  • Gov. Reynolds allocated $100 million in school safety funding