Highlights in this edition: 

• Iowa's High School Graduation Rate Climbs
  • This marks the first time since 2020 that Iowa's graduation rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels
• Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies
  • President Trump's EO emphasizes restoring safety and order in classrooms, arguing that prior policies prioritizing racial equity over behavior-based discipline compromised student safety and academic achievement 
• Behavioral Health Statewide Plan 
  • The plan outlines a comprehensive, person-centered system of care, focused on building a full behavioral health continuum
• Federal Budget: Lack of Evidence for Gender-Affirming Care
  • The report concluded that there is no robust evidence demonstrating that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries are not effective in treating gender dysphoria or improving mental health outcomes in minors

Highlights in this edition: 

• House Republicans Release Budget Plan
  • House Republicans continue to keep their word to paraeducators
• Iowa Ranks Fifth in the Nation, Landing the Midwest in Preschool Access for Four-Year-Olds
  • State spending totaled nearly $97,000,000, up 1 percent since last year 
• DNR Notes that Black Bear Sightings on the Rise in Northeast Iowa
  • Iowa has gone from having an occasional visiting bear, to more frequent visiting bears to now having two-to-four bears move in over winter
• Iowa is Finally Inheritance Tax Free
  • Senate File 619 passed back in 2021 phased out Iowa's inheritance tax at a rate of 20 percent each year until it was repealed totally this year

Highlights in this edition:

• Appropriations Committee Allocates Sports Wagering Tax Proceeds
  • The Fund has grown to $40.6 million as there is only one program that currently gets funding through it annually - $1.75 million a year for gamblers treatment programs in the state
• New Legislation Aims to Enhance College Affordability
  • The final decision on tuition increases must be made by April 30 of the previous fiscal year, allowing students to plan their finances more effectively
• Health Care Workforce Bill Sent to the Governor
  • The data shows that if you do your medical school training and your residency training in one state, you are far more likely to stay and practice in that state
• House Advances Open Meeting Enforcement
  • The bill increases training for public officials on open meetings and public information rules and increases fines for violations

Highlights in this edition:

• Gambling Tax Collections Down in March as Iowa Senate Proposes Hiking Sports Wagering Tax Rate
  • Iowa has one of the lowest sports wagering tax rates in the nation at just 6.75 percent
• Bill Establishing Center for Intellectual Freedom Sent to the Governor’s Desk
  • This is a great step forward for students who seek an unbiased knowledge and merit-based education
• Recount Modernization Heads to the Governor
  • The bill to creates standard procedures for how election recounts are conducted across Iowa
• House Committee Supports Increasing Access to Adoptions
  • House File 695 increases the adoption tax credit to from $5,000 to up to $20,000 of qualified adoption expenses per adoption

Highlights in this edition: 

• Changes to Legislature's Role in Welfare Funding Raises Questions
  • DHHS is proposing to change how TANF funding is appropriated
• What Kind of Accountability Exists in the ESA Program?
  • The use of a third-party administrator, strict eligibility and expenditure rules, and mechanisms for recovery and penalties minimize improper use by both recipients and schools
• Disaster Recovery
  • HF 982 enhances and improves Iowan's recovery efforts for communities affected by natural disasters
• House Republicans Strengthen Election Integrity 
  • The bill expands reasons to cancel a voter's registration to include citizenship status