It’s shaping up to be a busy week of committee work at the Statehouse as bills need to pass out of their committee of origin on Friday or be considered dead for the session.     We are highlighting a couple of bills of interest:   HSB 696 makes several changes to Iowa’s safety net programs. One positive aspect is that it slightly improves the Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities Program by expanding eligibility from 250% of the federal poverty level to 300% (about $7,000 a year...

Last week at the State Capitol   The House Public Safety Committee passed HF 2296 by a 13-8 vote. It would prohibit cities and counties from implementing a local ID program for residents. Johnson County offers a community ID, and people can use it get a library card, for example. Not everyone has easy access to their birth certificate. A legislator who is a police officer said he often comes across people who are having a medical crisis and he is trying to quickly identify the person. A...

Last minute reminder: the mid-term party precinct caucuses are scheduled for tonight (Monday) at 7 p.m. Here are the locations: Democratic Party precinct caucuses Republican Party precinct caucuses   While the state Senate will gavel in for a short time today, action will pick up at the Statehouse on Tuesday.   Last week at the State Capitol   The Catholic bishops of Iowa and several of our Iowa Catholic Conference board and committee members visited the State Capitol last week for our annual...