We must lay the foundation for a robust & equitable recovery for all Iowans. The federal bipartisan infrastructure bill can jumpstart our efforts. It will allow us to overhaul our infrastructure, build a stronger economy & improve life in every community, while creating great jobs & training Iowans in the skills to fill them.
We all do better when we all do better. This is a guiding principle of the labor movement that built the American Middle Class, and it’s the most promising path for our future.
As businesses and industries look to fully re-open, they’re struggling to find the workers they need to fill well-paying jobs. Iowans may be eager to apply, but often lack the specific skills required. That’s where community colleges come in.
The federal American Rescue Plan is the biggest piece of anti-poverty legislation in more than 50 years. One key feature, an expanded Child Tax Credit, will provide major tax relief for nearly all families starting July 15.
For generations, Iowans could count on a great public education from Iowa schools to set them up for success in life. Today, however, many Iowans are watching with dismay as a decade of underinvestment from Republican leadership has resulted in Iowa dropping to the middle of the pack in national rankings.
Iowans have been through a lot over the last year, particularly with the pandemic. It’s not over yet, but it is time for the Legislature to do all it can to help Iowa build back better, bigger and stronger than ever. Our focus this session is on a COVID Recovery Plan to help Iowa rebound from the ravages of the last year.
We propose using the state’s ending balance or the state’s “rainy day funds” to provide $30 million or more in immediate supplemental food assistance for Iowans directly and through food banks, food pantries, and other feeding entities in Iowa.
The headline today from the Reynolds administration of 4.7% unemployment in Iowa wildly underrepresents the dire current unemployment situation in Iowa. A truer unemployment number would be 12.3%.
Legislators should be helpers focused on building a healthier, happier, safer and stronger Iowa for our parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and friends. We must send a message that Iowa will be a friendly, inclusive state for everyone.
Our city, state, and nation are struggling with what is broken in our society. Racial injustice isn’t new, but our solutions absolutely must be. We have seen powerful, poignant moments. A peaceful, massive assembly has inspired new conversations. It also inspired a powerful and real emotion for some: anger.