"The institutions that once supported peace and prosperity for many years are now gone ..." more

In 2009, my parents bought the Massachusetts dairy farm where I grew up. Leased it, really, for 30 years, and bought the five acres which held a farmhouse, barn, and field where they planted an orchard. more

March 30, 2011: A group of North Scott High School students pitched in in Princeton to help stave off flooding from the Mississippi River. Nearly 200 students were bused out to Boll’s Community Center, where they filled almost 7,000 sandbags. “It’s just very humbling to see this amount of help for the citizens and town,” said police chief Brian Carsten. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” more

The tenth week of the legislative session began as we approached the final major legislative deadline. The last “funnel” deadline falls this week and narrows the focus to the bills that will be considered for the remainder of the session. This deadline brought a high level of activity in subcommittees and committees as we worked through proposals in both chambers. With this deadline now behind us, attention turns to reconciling legislation between the House and Senate. While the funnel process reduced the number of active bills, several major priorities remain. Legislators will continue working toward agreement so that these measures can be sent to the governor’s desk. If you have questions about legislative activity or specific bills, please feel free to reach out. more

As we conclude week 10 of the legislative session, I’m pleased to present our weekly wrap-up of actions taken. This week was particularly significant for me, as the Chairman of Public Safety, I had the honor of floor managing HF2133, an act aimed at scheduling and banning Kratom in Iowa. This bill received considerable attention and ultimately passed with a vote of 69 to 26 after thorough debate. more

This week the house ways and means committee passed House Study Bill 596. This property tax reform bill contains multiple divisions and covers a wide array of topics that holds the property taxpayer’s interests at heart—not the government’s. more

One of the most, if not the most, important functions of the legislature is to pass a budget, and each year, the legislature uses information provided by the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) to help build that budget. more

Every act of cruelty, every death, every terrorized student, every tear-gassed peaceful protester, and every wasted tax dollar. Americans voted for secure borders and removing violent criminals, but nobody voted for this ..." more

"Our legislators take an oath of office to support the Constitution of the United States and Iowa.  Let’s remind them each year to spend no time writing bills that clearly violate our rights ..." more

"Let’s call SAVE by what it is – a voter suppression act. Please contact your senators and beg them not to use this act to fix what is not broken ..." more

"Leave voting in the states’ hands, where the Constitution documents in Article S4.C1.2-States and Elections Clause. Tell Grassley and Ernst to NOT pass this form of voter suppression ..." more

"Fifty-eight percent of Americans believe the conflict with Iran is a poor use of taxpayer money. When asked whether they would still support the conflict if gas prices rose by $1 per gallon, 61% said they would not ..." more

March 17, 1976: An open house was planned to celebrate the dedication of North Scott Junior High. Instruction at the school officially began on Jan. 5. more

Every Iowan deserves clean, safe drinking water. That’s not negotiable. It’s fundamental to our health, our communities, and our quality of life. As Secretary of Agriculture, protecting our natural resources while keeping Iowa agriculture strong has been one of my top priorities. Those goals are not conflicting – they go hand in hand. more

Every Iowan, every human, needs water to survive. Whether to drink, to grow plants, to fish, swim, kayak, and paddle, or to uplift amazing local breweries, wineries, and cideries, the water we access simply must be healthy and plentiful for us to have a future. more

"So, when election time comes around in November, take note of what this legislature did and what they failed to do.  Vote for someone who will work to promote the health of Iowans and avoid taking away civil rights protections from some of the most vulnerable among us ..." more

"For the last 90 days, State Senator Kerry Gruenhagen has been busy trying to lure the Chicago Bears to Iowa. In the meantime, Senator Tony Bisignano, ranking member of the Senate Oversight Committee, sent a formal letter to Senator Kerry Gruenhagen, chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, on Dec. 4, 2025, requesting that his committee hold a hearing to review why state leaders have not met with a child welfare task force in two years ..." more

"House file 2624 passed the House last week.  Contact your legislators to demand this go no further.  This bill requires a person to submit their DNA upon arrest for a felony or violent aggravated misdemeanor.  Not conviction, but arrest.  This is driven by Katie’s Law, and the intent understood, but any security this is meant to provide is not worth giving up our right to be secure in our person, protected by the 4th Amendment ..." more

"Already the two-week-old war has cost more than 2,000 civilian lives. Fourteen American families are mourning the deaths of their loved ones. And the nation that cannot – or will not – feed its hungry children spends an estimated $1 Billion a day in direct military expenses. A time for snarky comments? I don’t think so ..." more

"Protecting the soil is the fundamental job of local government, not a retreat. If the state chooses to take control over local decision-making they will have to answer to voters, but Scott County officials should never be expected to abandon their responsibilities just to stay in the good graces of the state, the power companies, or the media ..." more