His shirt wasn’t always buttoned for the day when I would walk into class ahead of the bell. more

At the beginning of the month, the Iowa Department of Education released statistics for this school year regarding how many Iowa families utilized the new Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to help pay for non-public school. The results already bust many of the myths told and quiet the fearmongering so widely repeated during the school choice debate last year. more

This week I will explain my continued opposition to the AEA bill.  Before I get into the why I oppose it, I want to acknowledge an opinion that has been nearly unanimous – there is room for improvement in our AEA system.  more

The third week of the session was full of subcommittee meetings to discuss several introduced bills. Within the past week, the committees have created almost 100 subcommittees for legislation, roughly half of the subcommittees for the session so far. We are finding rhythm, so meetings and floor discussions should pick up quickly. That said, I want to highlight a bill that I oversaw as a subcommittee chair. more

The third week of the Iowa 2024 legislative session was extremely successful. I had many meetings with different associations, and was able to start building House Republican’s budget for this upcoming year. more

The Senate moved SSB 3069 past the first step in the legislative process.  more

Iowa Federation of Republican Women members helped organize and run caucus gatherings in 1,670 precincts in 99 counties, and National Federation of Republican Women leaders traveled to be on the ground in the Des Moines area for the big night, Jan. 15. more

One of the topics we have been hearing a lot about is area education agencies (AEAs). I appreciate all the messages I have been getting from my constituents, teachers, administrators, and parents/grandparents on this issue that demonstrate a strong commitment to our kids. more

In December, the state collected $30,707,971 in casino gaming taxes. This is an increase of $2.3 million from what the state collected in December 2022. December is the first month in Fiscal Year 2024 when casino gaming tax revenue outpaced the previous year. Even with December’s growth, gaming tax collections continue to lag behind FY 2023’s receipts. For the first half of Fiscal Year 2024, the state has received $162.8 million in casino gaming taxes. This is a decline of $4.2 million over the same time period in Fiscal Year 2023. more

The Iowa Legislature had a busy second week of the session. This week was the deadline for senators and representatives to request individual bills and joint resolution drafts from the Legislative Services Agency. The LSA also provided the Overview of Budget Recommendations for the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, which I chair. more

We are all very focused on common-sense policies to help move our state forward and looking at more income tax cuts to help Iowa working families and small businesses. more

I’m writing to share why I have endorsed Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, why I committed to serve as her statewide co-chair, and why I will be caucusing for her on Jan. 15. more

We are so blessed in Iowa to have the first in the nation caucus.  All the world will be watching Iowa on the evening of Monday, Jan. 15, 2024!  The person who wins the Iowa caucus gets a huge boost going into the New Hampshire primary.  The people in Scott County have an opportunity to influence what goes on in the world with their vote on caucus night. more

I’m looking forward to Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucus and not just for the temporary reprieve from negative political ads. Due to the presidential preference card changes, Democrats will be getting back to basics and expanding opportunities to participate in candidate selection. more

The Scott County Board of Supervisors is being called to task over the refusal of a majority on the board to accept the report of a 3-person recount board in a closely contested Pleasant Valley School Board race. more

2023 will be in the top 15 for driest years according to the state’s 151 years of records. Despite ongoing record drought – we’ll end the year with 182 consecutive weeks of at least moderate (D1) drought somewhere in the state - Iowa farmers harvested yet another strong, better-than-expected crop. It’s a testament to timely rains throughout the growing season and constant innovation in genetics, traits, technology, practices, and much more. more

City leaders in Davenport seem to have forgotten that city government there belongs to the people. It does not belong to the folks who were elected to city offices. more

The 2022 session of the Iowa Legislature began Jan. 10, much as lawmakers have convened for most of the past 175 years: with speeches and ceremony, the reuniting of friends and the renewal of partisan enmity. more