Our governor will be spending part of his Memorial Day weekend in Mississippi: Ceremonies in Mississippi this weekend mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Vicksburg and a monument to Iowa soldiers who died there will be rededicated. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is on his way there this morning. “That was a very [...]

Gov. Terry Branstad today is hailing the members of split-control Legislature for their landmark session achievements. The five-term GOP governor says lawmakers succeeded in approving significant property tax relief, transformational education reform, and meaningful health modernization that focuses on quality outcomes for low-income patients while modernizing of the Medicaid system. The governor noted that the [...]

DES MOINES – The Iowa Senate voted 43-6 Wednesday to pass a wide-ranging, historic tax relief package that will benefit all property classes, provide an estimated $120 credit to income taxpayers, and give a break to low-income working families. Supporters called Senate File 295 a long-awaited compromise that will stimulate the economy by helping businesses [...]

DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad and legislative negotiators have hammered out a bipartisan agreement to use federal money to expand health-care coverage to needy Iowans by financing insurance premiums for participants who help manage their costs with healthy choices. The newly named Iowa Health and Wellness Plan contains elements that meets the desires of [...]

The split-control Legislature inched toward adjournment on its 18th day of overtime session Tuesday. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said progress on the outstanding issues holding up the session’s end was “excellent” and he told reporters “I think that there’s a very real possibility that we are done tomorrow.” Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council [...]

DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad told fellow Iowa Executive Council members Monday he is still pushing to get the yearly salaries increased for their positions in 2014, but he’s not optimistic given the legislative reception the proposal received last week. Meanwhile, State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, a Democrat, said he was disappointed the proposal to [...]

DES MOINES – The Iowa Executive Council on Monday approved a six-month health insurance coverage plan for about 600 unionized state police officers that calls for a 2.84 percent renewal increase with Wellmark to carry the bargaining unit through until the 2014 enrollment plan takes effect in January. Ed Holland of the state Department of [...]

Key legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad expressed optimism Monday that progress was being made to forge a “hybrid” health care compromise that would merge elements of the governor’s “Healthy Iowa” plan with Senate Democrats’ desire to expand Medicaid to cover low-income, uninsured Iowans. “If we’re going to get something resolved, nobody’s going to get their [...]

Funding to expand passenger rail service in eastern Iowa and upgrade rail freight lines in Iowa fell victim to 11th-hour budget wrangling in the Iowa Legislature. House Republican negotiators stripped plans to spend $5.5 million in each of the next two fiscal years for Iowa’s multimodal transportation system from an infrastructure bill that got final [...]

  The governor’s state salary bill is out, including some proposed raises for elected officials. The Gazette’s Rod Boshart sent us the numbers: Proposed state salaries Office Current salary New salary effective Dec. 19, 2014 Governor 130,000 141,710 Lt. Governor 103,212 112,510 Sec. of Agriculture 103,212 112, 510 Sec. of State 103,212 112,510 State Treasurer [...]