Transcript Highlights:

• care for over eight years and is testifying on behalf of her union at SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa
• Rick Varco introduced himself for the record, saying he represents SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa
• representing SEIU Healthcare Minnesota representing SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and<00:10:29.120><c> Iowa
• understanding</c><00:10:30.640><c> is</c><00:10:30.959><c> because</c><00:10:31.440><c> we</c> and Iowa
• My understanding is because we and Iowa.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• offer for three minutes the opportunity for the sponsor of this legislation, the gentlewoman from Iowa
• No matter where I go out in Iowa, main street businesses, farm shops, manufacturing facilities, health
• care facilities, I meet the hardworking men and women of Iowa who want to take that next step in their
• c> I</c><04:23:11.439><c> go</c><04:23:11.680><c> out</c><04:23:11.920><c> in</c><04:23:12.159><c> Iowa
• ,</c><04:23:12.720><c> main</c> No matter where I go out in Iowa, main No matter where I go out in Iowa

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• standardized test, either the statewide assessment or a standardized test that's nationally normed, like the Iowa
• standardized test, either the statewide assessment or a standardized test that's nationally normed, like the Iowa
• you'll</c><04:20:03.560><c> think</c><04:20:03.720><c> of</c><04:20:03.840><c> the</c><04:20:04.000><c> Iowa
• </c><04:20:04.600><c> or</c> normed like you'll think of the Iowa or normed like you'll think of the
• Iowa or the<04:20:05.000><c> cat</c><04:20:05.600><c> or</c><04:20:05.760><c> the</c><04:20:05.920><c

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division 2 work session first took up HB 506, a bill dealing with the return of seized firearms. Members discussed how the measure would shift background-check processing for firearm returns through the Department of Safety, while the physical firearms would still remain with local police unless State Police had taken custody. The department said the bill would change which cases come to it, and members clarified that the bill concerns the background-check decision rather than possession of the firearms. The committee then voted OTP on HB 506 FN by a 7-0 roll call. The committee next discussed HB 671, establishing a kindergarten literacy readiness program. Department of Education staff explained that the bill grew out of a COVID-era Waterford contract that provided home-based early literacy support for families using federal relief funds, at a cost of about $600,000 per year, but that the program ended when those funds expired. Members raised concerns that the bill’s $1 appropriation was not realistic, that the prior program lacked sufficient outcome data, and that the references to ESSA tier-one benchmarks were unclear. The department said it was conducting a broader literacy needs assessment and updating the state literacy plan, including data from the zero-to-five range, K-5, and dyslexia-related work. Waterford representatives described the program as an early-literacy, pre-K readiness service for children ages zero to five, originally designed to work in homes with computers and internet provided where needed, and later expanded in some settings such as daycares and pre-K classrooms. They said the program used assessments at the beginning and end, had served hundreds of children, and was intended to support family engagement and kindergarten readiness. Despite that testimony, members remained concerned about funding and the lack of clear results, and one member moved to retain the bill for more information. The discussion ended with the bill retained rather than advanced.

Transcript Highlights:

• time, I believe Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland, West Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Hawaii, and Iowa
• , West Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Hawaii,<00:05:16.080><c> Iowa
• <c> all</c><00:05:17.280><c> also</c><00:05:17.759><c> looking</c><00:05:18.000><c> at</c> Hawaii, Iowa
• are all also looking at Hawaii, Iowa are all also looking at doing<00:05:18.479><c> this</c><00:05:18.720

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I can tell you about the Iowa Hawkeyes coming up here for a football game with the Gophers, and they
• tell<00:30:37.200><c> you</c><00:30:37.360><c> about</c><00:30:37.440><c> the</c><00:30:37.600><c> Iowa
• </c><00:30:37.919><c> Hawkeyes</c><00:30:38.399><c> coming</c> tell you about the Iowa Hawkeyes coming
• tell you about the Iowa Hawkeyes coming up<00:30:38.720><c> here</c><00:30:38.880><c> for</c><00:30:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I believe you told me that Iowa and Illinois were waiting for us to make a decision because of what

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior day’s journal, and a long series of introductions recognizing student groups, interns, FCCLA and FBLA participants, a Missouri Rural Water Association delegation, medical students, family guests, and legislative assistants. Members also highlighted the Tipton Lady Cardinals girls basketball state championship team and several job-shadowing students from across the state. Announcements included committee meetings and a Missouri Department of Conservation Earth Day tree-seedling giveaway in the rotunda. On legislation, the House received committee reports recommending passage of several measures, then took up House substitute for House Committee Substitute for House Bills 3068 and 3049. Members discussed the bill as a vehicle for multiple bipartisan provisions, including public safety, AI, trafficking training, and other topics; opponents raised concerns about anti-trans language and the bill’s breadth, while others defended it as a package of widely supported items. The House passed the measure 117-10 with 17 present. The chamber also truly agreed to and finally passed Senate Bill 914, dealing with soil analysis/perk test issues, by 108-34 with one present, and Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1142, a Secretary of State business filing measure for series LLC certificates of good standing, by 142-0 with one present. The most extended debate was on House Bill 1758, a daylight savings time trigger bill. The sponsor argued Missouri should lock in daylight savings time if the federal government authorizes a nationwide change, to avoid neighboring states forcing Missouri into standard time and to support tourism, safety, and economic activity. Supporters cited health, mental health, family, and business benefits, while opponents argued for standard time, raised concerns about children, circadian rhythms, and prior failed experiments, and questioned the federal-state authority issues. After extensive discussion and a point of order, the House ordered House Bill 1758 perfected and printed. The session ended with announcements and adjournment.

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• Island plant now called the Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania, and the Duane Arnold plant in Iowa

Summary: The meeting was an extended briefing from Idaho National Laboratory officials on the lab’s mission, its role in nuclear energy research, and the federal push to accelerate advanced reactor deployment. Speakers described INL’s size and capabilities, including test reactors, fuel and materials facilities, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure work, and partnerships with DOE, the NRC, the Department of Defense, and private companies. They emphasized that the lab is supporting both commercial nuclear development and national security work, while also training a large intern workforce. A major theme was the current federal effort to streamline nuclear regulation and speed up licensing and demonstration. The speakers said recent executive orders and DOE/NRC coordination are reducing redundant requirements, shortening environmental review timelines, and aiming for three new nuclear systems to reach criticality by July 4, 2026. They argued that regulatory uncertainty has been a major driver of nuclear cost and that the administration’s actions, along with DOE’s pilot and demonstration programs, are intended to rebuild the domestic supply chain and industrial base. The discussion also focused on advanced reactor types, including small modular reactors, microreactors, molten salt concepts, and liquid-metal designs. Officials said these technologies are being developed for data centers, military bases, remote communities, industrial heat, hydrogen production, and other nontraditional uses. They highlighted several projects and companies, including Oklo, Aalo, Radiant, X-energy, TerraPower, Kairos, and DOE’s MARVEL and Project Pele efforts, and said some reactors are expected to reach criticality or operation in the next few years. Questions from attendees covered safety, public health impacts, materials and heat management, waste or used fuel handling, costs, and whether nuclear could remain competitive against other energy sources; the speakers responded that advanced reactors are designed with passive safety features, that used fuel should be viewed as a resource, and that cost remains highly design- and supply-chain-dependent.

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• wants to go and work in another state, one of the criteria they need from that Secretary of State in Iowa

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The House met with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal for the 42nd day by roll call vote, 135-1. Members then observed several points of personal privilege and introduced guests, including family members, veterans, university students, and birthday recognitions. One member also led a moment of silence for a constituent killed in a roadway crash, using the occasion to call attention to highway shoulder safety and transportation funding. The chamber then took up a series of third-reading bills. HB 2944, dealing with senior property tax freeze relief and automatic renewal, passed 145-4. HB 2230/2978, addressing school instructional practices including screen time and cursive writing, passed 143-10 after extended debate about technology use in early grades and local school board policy. HB 1825, removing sheriffs and prosecutors from county salary commissions with a Boone County carve-out, passed 152-0. HB 1840, creating a Purple Alert system for missing individuals with developmental disabilities, passed 153-0, and its emergency clause was adopted 143-8 so implementation could begin immediately. HB 1623, allowing emergency suspension or restriction of licenses for massage therapists and chiropractors, passed 103-48. On the consent calendar, HB 3279 moved the Community Service Commission from the Department of Economic Development to the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development and passed 151-0. HB 2508 clarified Secretary of State authority regarding certificates of good standing for series LLCs and passed 152-0. HB 1963 allowed social workers to supervise after three years of practice and passed 151-0. The House also perfected HB 2408, removing a statutory cap on grants for deaf-blind support services, and perfected HB 313, which would require Narcan in public buildings, designate October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month, and expand prevention and school-law enforcement coordination. HB 3000, concerning audit and surplus-property procedures for fire protection districts, was perfected as amended after adoption of a Jackson County amendment requiring online auction or sealed-bid sales for items valued at $500 or more. The House also perfected HB 2898, reviving the land bank/judicial foreclosure framework after prior litigation over a single-subject issue, and HB 1740, renamed Melanie’s Law, which increases penalties for intoxicated driving causing injury or death and strengthens ignition interlock requirements for high-BAC first offenders. The session ended with announcements, including committee meetings and a fish fry notice, and the House adjourned until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

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• legislature, I was a licensed advisor at Merrill and at Wells Fargo and Farm Bureau Financial out of Iowa

Keywords: 914, all

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• nearly 40 years, our students have had fewer rights than their peers in neighboring states like Kansas, Iowa

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2710, which would revise school accountability report cards. The sponsor and members described a committee substitute that clarified the report card’s purpose, added an appeal process and changed deadlines, set the top decile of schools as the highest rating, addressed the 95% participation issue with an asterisk-style disclosure, shifted the Show Me Success funding language toward growth-based criteria, clarified growth-to-proficiency language, added agricultural industry reporting, and removed an anonymous survey section and a changing-target provision. After discussion about how letter-grade cutoffs would be set and whether the bill captured enough information about school quality, the committee adopted an amendment changing “growth to proficiency” to “growth relative to grade level” and exempting special school districts or state-operated schools serving only students with disabilities. The substitute was adopted and the committee voted the bill do pass by 16 ayes and 6 noes. The committee then considered House Bill 2872, a literacy bill. The sponsor explained that the substitute kept the four approved screeners, retained the commission, and softened the three-cueing language so science of reading remains the primary approach while allowing teachers some flexibility. Members discussed retention and possible future exceptions, including parental consent and reading plans, but those changes were not yet drafted. The substitute was adopted and the bill passed the committee 20-0, with two present. Next, the committee heard House Bill 2120 and House Bill 1698 together under a combined substitute addressing bullying and related reporting requirements. The substitute removed language on second-degree harassment, added a title reference to Sawyer’s Law, modified reporting procedures to require notice by the end of the school day or the next school day if the incident occurs on a weekend, and clarified investigation and liability protections for teachers. The substitute was adopted and the combined bill passed unanimously. The committee then moved out of executive session and heard House Bill 2335, which would let districts and administrators reduce repetitive annual teacher trainings by using a rotation after a teacher’s first three years. The sponsor and several witnesses from school administrator and teacher groups supported the bill as a time-saving retention measure, while a student witness raised concerns about ensuring continued training on mental health emergencies. Testimony then began on House Bill 2918, the Cronkite New Voices Act, which would expand student journalism rights at public schools and public colleges. The sponsor, a Hazelwood plaintiff, student journalists, an advisor, a law professor, and free-speech advocates testified in support, arguing the bill would protect student speech while preserving limits for libel, obscenity, privacy, and disruption; no opposing testimony was presented before the transcript ended.

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• So they scored very high, and $64 in Iowa.

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1623, the appropriations bill tied to North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program, which is funded through a new federal rural health care grant. Senator Bekkedahl explained the bill’s background, the interim committee process that developed it, and the federal conditions attached to the award, including spending deadlines, administrative cost limits, and restrictions on uses such as new construction, supplanting existing funding, and certain other costs. Legislative staff then walked through the seven sections of the bill, including appropriation authority, transfer authority, contingent appropriations for pass-through grants, procurement and public improvement exemptions, recipient reporting, legislative reporting, and immediate effective date. Commissioner Traynor and HHS staff described how the department plans to implement the program, emphasizing that the funding is intended to improve rural access, workforce recruitment and retention, technology and data connectivity, and community health initiatives. They said the department will rely on local applications, technical assistance, templates, listening sessions, and partnerships with providers, schools, public health units, tribal entities, and other community groups. Members asked about reimbursement timing, upfront costs, administrative expenses, sustainability after the five-year grant period, and whether CTE centers, public health units, gyms, grocery stores, and other community partners could participate; the department said yes, within program rules and with a focus on measurable outcomes and sustainability. Several supporters testified in favor. Mental Health America of North Dakota and the Mental Health Advocacy Network supported the bill and urged investment in community-based mental health, crisis response, children’s services, peer support, and mobile crisis teams. HIA Health described the grant as a chance to expand home-based and hospice care, noting that rural providers already have workable models but need funding to scale them. A cybersecurity representative also supported the bill, warning that the large amount of health data and AI-related tools will require strong data protection and professional support. The hearing was closed with no opposition testimony, and the committee announced it would return later in the day for further work on the bill and other measures.

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• Similarly, moose and wolf population collapses in Iowa Royale required human intervention to restore

Bills: SB5838, SB5960, SB6097

Keywords: tribal representation, natural resources, board of natural resources, environmental policy, community involvement, ungulate populations, wildlife management, habitat restoration, conservation, sustainability, Indian tribes, conservation futures program, federal recognition, environmental protection, 904, all

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• This is model legislation enacted by the Encoil, and other states from Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Maryland

Bills: SB5871, SB5919

Keywords: motor vehicle, glass repair, insurance claims, consumer protection, regulations, fire safety, insurance incentives, best practices, community protection, voluntary measures, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is model legislation enacted by the Encoil, and other states from Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Maryland

Summary: The Senate Business, Trade, and Economic Development Committee met for its first session under the committee’s new name and heard a work session on Washington’s economic development policy from the Department of Commerce. Commerce described its Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness, including small business finance, export assistance, business attraction, and sector development work, and emphasized the need for a statewide economic development strategic plan with regular review, stakeholder input, and attention to rural and regional needs. Members asked about foreign trade offices, federal funding uncertainty, tax competitiveness, workforce programs, and the role of the Keep Washington Working program. Commerce said the state’s trade and investment efforts are valuable but face funding challenges, and that Washington must compete on more than taxes, including its business ecosystem and workforce. The committee then heard public testimony on Senate Bill 5919, which would encourage fire districts and insurers to develop voluntary incentives for wildfire mitigation best practices related to agricultural activities. The sponsor described the bill as a way to reward farmers for practices such as defensible space, fire breaks, equipment storage, and avoiding high-risk work during red flag conditions. A fire chief testified in support, citing recent standing grain fires and the need for practical incentives in rural areas. The bill was described as having no appropriation and no requested fiscal note. Members also heard testimony on Washington in the Making 2040 from the Association of Washington Business and a business owner. Supporters said the 16-year economic vision plan was built from broad public engagement and focuses on workforce, business climate, infrastructure, housing, and community. They argued Washington needs more housing, a more competitive regulatory and tax environment, and reliable energy to support growth. Senators questioned how the plan would achieve its housing goals and what specific regulatory changes were needed; AWB said it would provide a regulatory study soon. The committee also received a wildfire mitigation work group update from the Office of Insurance Commissioner, which recommended stronger community mitigation, better data sharing, consumer transparency, and a possible grant program for home hardening, though it did not reach full consensus on a single property mitigation standard. Finally, the committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5871, which would prohibit assignment of benefits in property and casualty insurance and set new rules for motor vehicle glass repair claims, including ADAS-related disclosures and limits on steering and inducements. The sponsor and supporters, including the Office of Insurance Commissioner, Safelite, NAMIC, and the Northwest Insurance Council, said the bill would reduce auto glass fraud, improve transparency, and help stabilize premiums. Independent glass shop owners and the Independent Glass Association opposed the bill as written, arguing it would favor large vertically integrated companies, restrict small businesses, and fail to address insurer steering and conflicts of interest. Several witnesses requested technical amendments, and the committee took no final vote before adjourning.

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• But we also want you to the apply courses thinking on that Iowa and certificate that every single student

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• Bruce Bernstein and the former Governor of Iowa.

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• I got to know him through my work on Iowa State.

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• District Courts in Iowa, Hawaii, Alaska, New Jersey, and South Dakota, and Wyoming have all held states

Bills: SB5, SB11, SB12, SB9, SB42, SB15, SB5, SB11, SB12, SCR1

Keywords: hemp regulation, consumable products, cannabinoids, occupational licenses, criminal offenses, SB 11, Texas attorney general, election crimes, election law enforcement, criminal prosecution, Election Code, Government Code Chapter 402, local prosecutors, county attorney, district attorney, grand jury, probable cause reports, state election offenses, voter fraud, election integrity

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• Those states include Kansas, Ohio, Arkansas, Washington, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Tennessee.

Bills: HB111

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

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• I'm surprised it hasn't passed now, but it's worked in Iowa since. Mr.