Iowa

Stone Highlights the End of the Iowa Legislative Session – Mix 107.3 KIOW

Published

2 years ago

May 31, 2022

Stone Highlights the End of the Iowa Legislative Session – Mix 107.3 KIOW

Consultant Henry Stone

And that’s a wrap! The ultimate week of session has concluded and there have been just a few nice surprises. Whereas the second session of the 89th Normal Meeting was shorter than the primary, we didn’t disappoint when it got here to delivering nice laws for all Iowans. I labored tirelessly to get HF 2298 throughout the end line and it was handed by the Senate on the final day!

As we glance in direction of this election cycle and into subsequent 12 months, there are such a lot of issues to already deal with subsequent session. Together with your help and vote, I, together with my colleagues, promise to proceed to ship significant laws to our district and for all Iowans! Regardless that there was so many extra payments handed, these are the highlights of some payments that I’ve been requested about:

HF 2298: Ban on COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Kids (Despatched to Governor)

Iowa Home Republicans handed a invoice that claims licensed little one care facilities, elementary, secondary, or postsecondary faculties will not be allowed to require the COVID-19 vaccine for enrollment.
Iowans have reached out to their elected officers expressing their considerations relating to COVID-19 vaccine necessities. The difficulty is much more heightened with regards to youngsters.
This laws will guarantee Iowa dad and mom could make their very own choices based mostly on what’s finest for his or her little one and that each little one can get the entry to schooling and little one care that they deserve.

HF 2317: A Tax Minimize for All Iowans (Signed By Governor)

Republicans within the Capitol delivered a historic tax plan that lowers taxes for each Iowan and is sustainable into the foreseeable future.
Our tax lower lowers the tax price for all Iowans to a good and flat price of three.9%. That places Iowa on the fourth lowest earnings tax price within the nation.
Earlier than our tax lower laws, the bottom earnings earners would have paid a price of 4.4% earnings tax for Fiscal 12 months 2023. So, this variation to three.9% represents a tax lower for each Iowan.
Regardless of what you might hear from the Left, wealthier Iowans will nonetheless contribute extra to funding the federal government. 3.9% of $1 million is greater than 3.9% of $62,000.

HF 2317: Making Retirement Earnings Tax Free (Signed By Governor)

This session, we additionally made retirement earnings in Iowa tax free.
How retirement earnings is taxed in every state can have a big effect on the place of us select to retire and make their major state of residence.
We see many Iowans transfer or change their major residence to states like Florida, Texas and even Illinois that don’t tax retirement earnings.
If we will maintain these of us in Iowa as soon as they retire, meaning they proceed to contribute to the financial system right here in Iowa, to not-for-profits and to their area people.
I’ve seen some criticism that our invoice doesn’t embrace social safety earnings. Nevertheless, that’s as a result of Iowa already doesn’t tax social safety advantages.

SF 2367: Tax Exemption for Female Merchandise and Diapers (Despatched to Governor)

With inflation at an all-time excessive and prices rising on nearly every little thing, Iowa Home Republicans are persevering with to search for methods to ease the tax burden on Iowans.
This week, we handed a brand new tax exemption that may assist maintain extra money within the pockets of on a regular basis Iowans.
This modification eliminates the 7% gross sales tax on female merchandise and diapers. It’s estimated to save lots of Iowa taxpayers $11 million a 12 months.

HF 2589: Eliminating the Deadline for Open Enrollment (Despatched to Governor)

This invoice eliminates the March 1st deadline for public college college students to open enroll into one other public college. With this variation, college students might apply to go away their college and attend a special public college at any time throughout the 12 months.
This invoice will assist present extra college alternative for folks and college students who don’t really feel like they’re having their voices heard by their college board and directors.
Underneath present regulation, a pupil should apply to open enroll earlier than March 1st except they’re granted a selected exception. Because of this if a college board adopts a coverage towards your needs on March 2nd, your pupil could be trapped in that faculty for the next 12 months.
This permits dad and mom to make one of the best choice for his or her little one on the place to ship their child to high school.
The receiving district would nonetheless have to have the capability to just accept the scholar. And all present legal guidelines relating to athletic eligibility stay in place.

HF 2564: Aiding Companies with Increasing Baby Care Choices for Staff (Despatched to the Governor)

The Financial Growth Appropriations invoice accommodates a tax credit score for companies to broaden little one care choices for his or her workers.
Home Republicans have made little one care a precedence over the past 3 years, and final 12 months the governor signed laws to handle the cliff impact in little one care help, double the earnings eligibility for the kid care tax credit score for households, enhance little one care help charges by $13.4 million, and broaden choices for households via non-registered properties.
This invoice tackles the problem from one other angle Home Republicans have been excited about working towards over the previous few years – incentivizing companies to assist their workers discover and pay for little one care providers.

HF 2127: Further cash for little one care suppliers (Despatched to Governor)

This invoice permits little one care suppliers to just accept addition cash from households taking part within the state little one care help program.
Present regulation doesn’t permit these households to pay the distinction between the CCA reimbursement price and the speed the supplier sometimes expenses, even when the household agrees to pay the extra charge.
This invoice would assist suppliers make extra cash by permitting them to gather extra money from the households who can afford it.

HF 2549: Psychological Well being Mortgage Forgiveness Program (Despatched to Governor)

This invoice establishes a psychological well being practitioner mortgage compensation program for Iowans that comply with observe in Iowa for a minimum of 5 years.
This can draw extra of the much-needed psychological well being care professionals to our state to get educated, educated and stick round to work after they graduate.

HF 2546: Growing funds for these caring for high-need sufferers (Despatched to Governor)

This invoice requires Iowa Medicaid to ascertain a price for psychiatric intensive care in Iowa.
This can make sure that the well being care professionals offering take care of essentially the most troublesome psychological well being sufferers are being compensated appropriately.

HF 2384: Growing Transparency with Pharmacy Profit Managers (Despatched to Governor)

The Iowa Home and Senate handed laws to create a framework for pharmacy prescription drug reimbursements from Pharmacy Profit Managers (PBMs).
PBMs function the center man of the pharmaceutical trade and plenty of states throughout the nation are methods to reform the trade and supply extra transparency.
This laws will defend our rural pharmacies to allow them to proceed to supply important care for his or her communities and goals to decrease the price of prescribed drugs for the patron.

HF 2578: MOMs maternal help laws (Despatched to Governor)

This part of the HHS finances requires DHS to create the extra choices for maternal help program, a statewide program to advertise wholesome pregnancies and childbirth via nonprofit organizations that present being pregnant help providers.
DHS will problem RFPs to pick out a program administrator that could be a nonprofit that has been in existence for a minimum of 3 years and may handle subcontractors to supply being pregnant help providers.
The subcontractors should even have a minimum of one 12 months of operational expertise in offering being pregnant help providers.
This program will:

Present personalised help to pregnant girls to supply stabilization to households
Promote improved being pregnant outcomes via wholesome behaviors and prenatal vitamin.
Enhance little one well being and improvement
Enhance household financial self-sufficiency by linking dad and mom with providers

Permits contractors to supply:

Dietary providers
Housing, schooling and employment help for as much as one 12 months following a start
Adoption providers
Baby care help
Baby care gadgets together with cribs, automobile seats, clothes, diapers, system
Parenting schooling
A name middle
Medical data and referrals for medical care

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Iowa

8-year-old Iowa boy dies after being backed over by truck while riding bike

Published

1 hour ago

July 5, 2024

Press Room

8-year-old Iowa boy dies after being backed over by truck while riding bike

Iowa State Patrol and Ottumwa police are investigating the death of a 8-year-old boy who was killed by a truck while riding his bike on Tuesday.

First responders were dispatched to the 200 block of North Hancock and Dewey streets for a pedestrian crash involving an 8-year-old boy and a Dodge truck at around 12:25 p.m. Tuesday, police spokesperson Lt. Jason Bell said in a statement.

The 8-year-old died at the scene, Bell said.

Investigators reported that the truck had accidentally backed over the boy in an alley, Bell said. Police have identified the driver, but no charges have been filed as the crash is still under investigation.

The 8-year-old boy was identified as Jaxxon Cain, Ottumwa Community School District Superintendent Michael McGrory said in a statement.

Cain, who had recently finished second grade, was a cherished member of the school community, McGrory said.

“This is a heartbreaking moment for our school district,” McGrory said. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family during this unimaginably difficult time.”

The district has organized support services for students and staff for anyone affected by Cain’s death, McGrory said.

“We ask that you keep Jaxxon’s family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate through this unimaginable loss,” McGrory said. “Together, we will honor the memory of Jaxxon and support one another through this heart-wrenching loss.”

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com.

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Iowa

How Iowa’s offensive scheme allows Hawkeyes to ‘control tempo’ in new way

Published

7 hours ago

July 5, 2024

Press Room

How Iowa’s offensive scheme allows Hawkeyes to ‘control tempo’ in new way

Shanahan West Coast offense is ‘really great system,’ but Iowa still needs to be ‘technically and fundamentally sound’

Hawkeyes tight end coach Abdul Hodge watches his platers run drills during a Hawkeyes’ football spring practice on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Abdul Hodge sees plenty of upside in Iowa football’s new offensive scheme.

“The Shanahan West Coast system is a really great system,” the Iowa tight ends coach said on The Gazette’s Hawk Off the Press podcast. “Has a lot of flexibility in the run game, in the passing game. Has a lot of answers that’s already built into it, whether it be hots or different variations in terms of the formations, various personnel groupings.”

Of course, there’s the motion, too — something Iowa fans saw a heavy dose of during the spring open practice. But Hodge also has especially taken note of the scheme providing “another way to control tempo.”

As Hodge sees it, there are “three ways you can control tempo.”

One way is what fans saw during this year’s Citrus Bowl between Iowa and Tennessee. Another way resembles what Kansas did last year on its way to averaging a Big 12-best 7.2 yards per play.

“They’ll align in the huddle, they’ll explode out as fast as possible and try to snap the football as fast as possible before the defense can actually see what’s going on and make adjustments and communicate,” Hodge said.

The third method is what Hodge sees Iowa doing with its Shanahan-style offense to “keep the defense off balance.”

“We will still huddle,” Hodge said. “We’ll get to the line of scrimmage. But at the last second, we can change that picture. We can go from a 3-by-1 formation to a 2-by-2 formation or 2-by-2 formation to 3-by-1 formation. … Or we can change the picture post-snap, when that ball is snapped.”

For those not as fluent in football schematics, the Green Bay Packers’ system offers a facsimile of what the Hawkeyes’ system will look like. (Lester was an analyst there before taking the Hawkeyes’ offensive coordinator job.)

“Being able to see those pictures, being able to see the examples, being able to pull up Green Bay’s tape and seeing some of those same concepts, I think, is very, very helpful,” Hodge said. “Because it can give you a visualization of what it’s supposed to look like.”

In fact, Iowa coaches traveled to Green Bay earlier in the offseason to meet with the Packers’ staff and watch practice. (That contingent included Hodge, who was the Packers’ third-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.)

As much as Iowa’s new scheme can help the offense in many facets, Hodge is quick to remind his players that schematics are “not the only thing that we’re going to have to hang our hat on to win football games.”

“At the end of the day, we still at Iowa are going to have to be technically and fundamentally sound,” Hodge said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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Iowa

Iowa's Logan Jones, Connor Colby included among Lindy's top centers, guards

Published

14 hours ago

July 5, 2024

Press Room

Iowa's Logan Jones, Connor Colby included among Lindy's top centers, guards

Fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes are hoping this is the year it all clicks up front offensively.

Understandably, the amount of experience that Iowa returns defensively has garnered plenty of attention nationally. The Hawkeyes return 192 career starts to a defense that ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (14.8 points per game) and seventh in total defense (282.5 yards per game).

Don’t lose sight of the amount of experience and starts that Iowa also brings back up front offensively. The Hawkeye offensive line returns 147 career starts, including 58 from last season.

That includes Iowa starting center Logan Jones and starting right tackle Connor Colby. Jones, a 6-foot-3, 290 pound senior, and Colby, a 6-foot-6, 311 pound senior, have started 26 and 36 career games, respectively. Colby started 12 last season, while Jones started 13.

In its annual preseason college football preview magazine, Lindy’s gave both some proper due. Jones was ranked as Lindy’s No. 6 center nationally, while Colby was ranked as Lindy’s No. 5 guard heading into the 2024 college football season.

For an Iowa offense looking to transform its production under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, having Jones and Colby both back in the fold for his first campaign in Iowa City is massive.

In its breakdown of Iowa, here’s some of what Lindy’s had to say about Iowa’s offense as a whole:

Iowa’s offense became a national running joke last season, with websites, podcasts and—well, just about anybody who was paying attention—poking fun at the Hawkeyes and their offensive soap opera, which averaged just 234.6 yards a game, dead last in the country.
Yet they still won the Big Ten West.
In comes new offensive coordinator Tim Lester to replace the embattled Brian Ferentz, who has been replaced by a former head coach who has shown he can build a solid offense. After Lester was let go as head coach at Western Michigan (37-32 in six years), he spent last season as an offensive analyst for the Green Bay Packers.
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Good news for the rebuild: Quarterback Cade McNamara is healthy after missing more than half of last season with a torn ACL. Protecting the former Michigan transfer will be especially important, and after the line also battled injuries last year, that unit starts fresh with veterans at every position led by center Logan Jones and guard Connor Colby. – Lindy’s.

Iowa also brings back its top four running backs in Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson, Jaziun Patterson and Kamari Moulton.

Two of the Hawkeyes’ top pass-catchers at receiver are back in junior wide outs Seth Anderson and Kaleb Brown. Talented senior tight end Luke Lachey is back for Iowa as well.

In order for Iowa to complete the offensive transformation it’s working for, it’s no secret that Iowa needs to perform better up front, though. Jones and Colby join offensive tackles Gennings Dunker and Mason Richman, left guard Beau Stephens and Nick DeJong as offensive linemen that have started during their Hawkeye careers entering the 2024 season.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.

Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF

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