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A small share, a big impact: Why property tax proposals matter to Iowa Valley

As the Iowa Legislature continues to debate property tax reform, Iowans are right to expect transparency, fairness, and responsible stewardship of public resources. Those are values we share at Iowa Valley Community College District. We understand the motivation behind these proposals and recognize that the broader effort is intended to provide relief and predictability for taxpayers. However, the portions of these bills that affect community colleges tell a different story. While they play only a very small role in overall taxpayer relief, they carry outsized and damaging consequences ...

The Blom Bulletin — Week 14, Session Coming to a Close

Appropriations Above is the proposed budget from the House for fiscal year 2027. This budget is an increase of 1.6 percent in General Fund spending from the prior fiscal year. The bills which set out all the line items for this proposed budget are as follows: Administration and Regulation ...

Bible truth or tradition: When does eternal life begin?

A local pastor recently wrote that we are blessed with an “eternal soul” that immediately goes to be in the presence of the Lord when a believer dies. How do we know if this is truth or tradition? This idea of an eternal, indestructible soul can be found in the dialogue “Phaedo,” written by Plato around 360 BC. He lays out the classic Greek argument for the immortal soul. Also, around 387 AD, Augustine of Hippo wrote “The Immortality of the Soul” reflecting his engagement with Platonic and Neoplatonic philosophy. Augustine has influenced modern Christian thought ...

Attacks on Trans people are attacks on everyone

It’s a distressing time to be a trans person just trying to mind your business. This March, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued its third “red flag” warning about the risk of “anti-trans genocide” in the United States, warning about laws and policies designed to “criminalize” the entire trans community “based solely on its existence.” In February, Kansas invalidated the IDs of all trans people in the state with a single day’s notice. Finally, just recently, the International Olympic Committee mandated that all persons competing in women’s events ...

District 53 Newsletter from Rep. Dean Fisher

We have completed week 13 of the session, which marks 91 days out of the 100 official days of the second legislative session of this, the 91st General Assembly. If we go past 100 days, the legislators no longer receive their per diem expenses, and our legislative clerks are dismissed for the year. On Monday of this week, the House passed House File 2751, which defines obstruction of a first responder and adds penalties. This bill provides that a person who is given a verbal warning by a first responder to stay away or not approach must stay back 25 feet and not impede, interfere, ...

Barker Bulletin

Week 13: Budgets and Property Taxes I had the honor or starting my week by hosting legendary Coach Tony Dungy for a virtual meeting with House and Senate colleagues discussing the fatherhood initiatives in my Strong Families Tax Credit. It was a great opportunity to hear about the successes of this model in states like Texas and Florida. A stronger Iowa begins with strong families and I will continue to champion this piece of legislation! The highlight of my week was welcoming Colo-NESCO students to the House Chamber. They asked some really great questions about how their government ...