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NEWS 2.14.23

Abortion-rights supporters (foreground) try to disrupt an anti-abortion march to the Texas Capitol during a Texas Rally for Life on Jan. 24 in Austin, Texas.
Eric Gay
/
AP
Abortion-rights supporters (foreground) try to disrupt an anti-abortion march to the Texas Capitol during a Texas Rally for Life on Jan. 24 in Austin, Texas.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and her attorneys are again asking the Iowa Supreme Court to lift an injunction on the state’s fetal heartbeat bill to allow it to go into effect.

The law, which was signed in 2018, prohibits elective abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy.

The Iowa Supreme Court put an injunction on the law in 2019 after ruling that abortion is a state constitutional right. However, that ruling has since been overturned.

Gov. Reynolds filed to challenge the injunction last year as well, but a Polk County judge ruled she did not have enough authority to overturn the injunction.

South Dakota law will continue to say marriage is between a man and a woman. One Democratic lawmaker who estimates about 1,500 same-sex couples live in the state had hoped to change the law to state marriage “between two persons.”

But, a majority on the House State Affairs Committee thought otherwise and voted to kill the proposal.

South Dakota voters in 2006 approved a constitutional amendment that said, “Only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in South Dakota.”

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has signed bill that prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender people under the age of 18. Noem's office announced Monday that she had signed the bill, which bans the prescription of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and gender-affirming surgery for minors. South Dakota was among more than two dozen conservative states considering similar measures this year. Major medical associations have endorsed such treatments for minors. Opponents of the bill said it violated the young people's civil rights and was a government overreach into personal healthcare decisions. Supporters of the ban argued it protects adolescents from making decisions that could harm them for the rest of their lives.

A final walk-through of the Crescent Park Elementary school will be held before it is torn down to make way for an apartment complex.

On Monday night, the Sioux City School Board accepted a purchase agreement from KM Developments for $150,000. A representative told the board it would take a million dollars to fix the building and $200,000 to remove asbestos. The public tour will take place next Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m.

Leaders of Iowa’s three public universities are asking state lawmakers for a 32-million-dollar boost in funding. They say it’ll be targeted to programs aimed at training more nurses and teachers, helping first-generation college students stay in school, and preventing tuition increases.

The Republican majority legislature hasn’t fulfilled the universities’ funding requests in recent years. At a meeting Monday, GOP lawmakers questioned the university presidents about their spending on administrative positions.

Republican lawmakers also questioned the university presidents about their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. They took issue with each university paying about $250,000 a year for a vice president focused on D-E-I.

The University of Iowa will ask the Board of Regents to approve a housing master plan that includes building a new dorm and selling one that it currently owns.

The five-year plan includes building a new residence hall that would accommodate 250 to 400 students and is estimated to cost between 40 and 60 million dollars. The plan calls for funding some of the cost of the new dorm by selling the Mayflower Residence Hall. Check out Radio Iowafor more on the story.

Republicans on a Senate panel advanced a bill today in the Iowa Legislature that would shift the burden of proof in workplace drug testing disputes from the employer to the employee.

Under current law, an employer that’s accused of improperly conducting a drug test has to prove they’re innocent.

Groups representing businesses support the bill. They say the person making an allegation should have to carry the burden of proving that allegation.

The biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time is coming to the Iowa State Fair.

The Chicks announced The Chicks World Tour 2023 on Tuesday.

The 13-time Grammy award-winning stars will perform at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 19 with special guest Ben Harper.

Submitted news releases:

February 14 is National Donor Day

Lincoln – An organ, eye, and tissue donor can save and heal more than 100 lives. Join the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in recognizing National Donor Day, February 14, which highlights the critical importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.

According to Live On Nebraska, a local non-profit dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ, tissue, and eye donation, there are over 300 people in Nebraska waiting for an organ transplant. In 2022, more than 600 people gave the gift of life through organ and tissue donation.

Live On Nebraska is one of 57 organ procurement organizations throughout the country. Their service area includes all of Nebraska and Pottawattamie County, Iowa. They work to recover organs and tissue for transplantation, maintain and grow Nebraska’s donor registry, and provide education on the importance of donation.

Nationally, there are over 100,000 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant. 20 people die each day because an organ is not available for them. 85% of these individuals need a kidney. Organs are matched based on compatibility, distance to the donor, and recipient urgency. They are never matched based on someone’s race, gender, income, or social status.

While organs are most commonly donated after the donor’s death, a living donation is a chance to help a person when an individual is still alive. Common living donations include a kidney or a portion of the liver. Many people do not realize that corneas, bones, tendons, heart valves, intestines, veins, nerves, arteries, and skin can also be transplanted.

Donate Life America notes that 95% of Americans support organ donation, but only 60% of individuals nationwide are registered donors. In Nebraska, 54% of individuals are registered donors.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are considering registering as a donor:

  • Donation is only possible after all efforts to save the patient’s life have been exhausted.
  • An open-casket funeral is almost always possible following donation.
  • Donation is free for the donor’s family.
  • Nearly all major religions support donations.

Signing up to be a donor means you may someday help others in need. Anyone age 16 or older, regardless of their health, can register to donate by visiting https://liveonnebraska.org/ref/dhhs/ or by signing up when they receive their driver’s license or state ID card.

Gov. Reynolds, Iowa Department of Education Launch DON’T QUIT!®

Fitness Campaign in Iowa

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education are partnering with the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) and its chairman Jake Steinfeld to participate in the DON’T QUIT! campaign which aims to reverse growing trends in mental illness and childhood obesity. NFGFC will gift a state-of-the-art DON’T QUIT! fitness center to three elementary or middle schools in Iowa.

“Since becoming Governor, my administration has made historic investments in Iowa’s mental health, including the first-ever children’s mental health system in our state,” stated Governor Reynolds. “I believe in supporting mental health in a variety of ways and am excited about how the DON’T QUIT! campaign can help improve the mental and physical health of school-age children by providing fitness centers for three Iowa schools.”

Steinfeld, also known as fitness icon “Body by Jake”, has spent the last 40 years promoting the importance of physical activity to combat childhood obesity, and has seen firsthand that the benefits don’t stop there. “Exercise has been proven to provide a positive effect on a child’s mental health as well,” Steinfeld said. “Our kids are our most precious resource and by providing them with a strong foundation in health and fitness, we will be helping them excel beyond their wildest dreams. It’s inspiring to see elected leaders like Governor Kim Reynolds champion the DON’T QUIT! vision and we look forward to bringing the campaign to Iowa.”

The NFGFC’s goal is to build a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world. To date, it has provided fitness centers to 42 states plus Washington, DC. This year, the campaign will benefit four more states: Iowa, Vermont, Wyoming, and Montana. Each fitness center is financed through public-private partnerships with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Amerigroup Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding. Fitness Supply provides the fitness equipment.

Schools interested in receiving a fitness center can apply starting Tuesday, February 14, 2023, until Sunday, March 26, 2023. School districts will receive more information about the application process from the Iowa Department of Education and can visit https://natgovfit.org/apply-now/, then click on the Iowa button to download the application. Schools are asked to submit a short video expressing why they deserve a new fitness center and what they plan to do with it.

Physical activity and exercise are shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases, enhance individual health and quality of life, and reduce health care costs. In schools, studies show that physical activity improves academic achievement, increases confidence and self-esteem, reduces discipline problems, cuts absenteeism, and fosters better interpersonal relationships.

For more information about the NFGFC, visit www.natgovfit.org.

Grassley Leads Bipartisan Reintroduction of Mass Violence Prevention Bill

Five years after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and one day after a shooting at Michigan State University, bipartisan lawmakers continue to push for changes to prevent future violence

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress today reintroduced the EAGLES Act to prevent acts of mass violence. The bill, named after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mascot, would expand the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to include a greater focus on preventing targeted violence, including school violence.

 

The NTAC provides research and training for behavioral threat assessment and targeted violence, including school shootings and other public threats. The legislation creates a national program on targeted school violence prevention, and expands the NTAC's research and training on school violence and its dissemination of information on school violence prevention initiatives.

 

The Senate legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.).

 

“Accurate behavioral threat assessments and early interventions are essential to maintaining a safe environment in our schools and communities and preventing another tragedy from taking place,” Grassley said. “The U.S. Secret Service is uniquely equipped to help evaluate these threats, and our bill would enable them to share their tools and expertise with school safety partners across the country. While we can never bring back the lives tragically lost in horrific acts of violence, we must do all we can to honor their memories by preventing future violence from occurring.” 

 

“The EAGLES Act would leverage the National Threat Assessment Center to provide a proactive and multi-pronged approach to identify and stop threats of school violence,” Rubio said. “I thank Senator Grassley for his continued leadership on this legislation, and urge the Senate to pass this bill.”

 

“In the five years since the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, we’ve worked every day to honor the 17 lives taken and to protect our schools, students and educators,” Scott said. “Our bipartisan bill, the EAGLES Act, is an important step to improve school safety and provide more resources to law enforcement to prevent future tragedies from happening. I urge my colleagues to finally pass this bill.”

 

“Every child deserves to feel safe in the classroom, and school gun violence is a heartbreaking issue that far too many American families have faced. I’m proud to reintroduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to expand programs offered by NTAC and help our law enforcement officials understand and mitigate threats at our schools,” Manchin said. “I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect our children and prevent violence in schools across West Virginia and the United States.”

 

“Our country has seen far too many acts of violence. Americans deserve to live their lives safely—at school, at grocery stores, at concerts, at places of worship, the list goes on,” King said. “The EAGLES Act is a simple, commonsense, important step to stop mass violence before it happens and keep communities safe from these tragedies. This bill will build on the National Threat Assessment Center track record of success and empower them to share their vast information resources wider to prevent future threats. I’m proud to join the bipartisan, bicameral coalition working on this bill and hope we can ensure its swift passage to help stop mass violence across our nation.”

 

“No child should feel unsafe in the classroom, and it is imperative that we take action to ensure that schools are a safe learning environment for students, teachers, and staff,” Collins said. “This legislation would improve research and training to prevent targeted violence, including threats to schools.  This is one of many commonsense steps that we can take to help protect our communities.”

 

"On the fifth anniversary of the tragic, senseless act of violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, that took the lives of 17 innocent individuals, I continue to pray for all those that experienced that horrific attack," Diaz-Balart said. "Sadly, after Parkland, these targeted attacks have become more common. As we have learned, threat assessments and early intervention are proven and effective ways to prevent violent conduct, and Congress must ensure that all communities are equipped with the tools to identify and respond to any and all threats. The EAGLES Act is a crucial step toward protecting our communities, schools, workplaces, and houses of worship by ensuring that they have the knowledge and resources to identify and respond to potential acts of targeted violence. I am proud to reintroduce this crucial bill and remain optimistic that it can soon become law."

 

"Five years ago, our community was rocked to its core by school violence. We must do everything in our power to leverage our best resources to keeping our kids safe," Moskowitz said. "By building on the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center model, schools and community leaders can receive trainings on how to prevent and respond to violence. By naming the legislation the Eagles Act, we will always remember the 17 lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the importance of preventing future school tragedies."

 

Background

The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) was created in 1998 to develop evidence-based indicators for various types of targeted violence, including school violence. NTAC’s findings can then be used to develop best practices and training to prevent future acts of violence. Since 2002, the Secret Service has conducted hundreds of training operations for more than 198,000 school administrators, teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, school resource officers and other public safety partners. The EAGLES Act reauthorizes and expands NTAC, allowing it to scale its threat assessment operations, with a particular focus on school safety.

 

In addition to reauthorizing the center and expanding their research and education ability, the bill establishes a national program on targeted school violence prevention and provides additional resources to expand research and training. Through the bill’s school safety initiative, the NTAC will coordinate trainings and plans with the Department of Justice and Department of Education. The bill also requires the Secret Service to provide periodic progress reports to Congress.

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