Republican Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban anyone under 18 from having a social media account.
Two lawmakers agreed to advance the bill, House File 526, Thursday morning after a brief subcommittee meeting, but they acknowledged it would have to change.
GOP lawmakers say they're worried about social media companies collecting data on children and about data that show negative effects from social media on the mental health of children and teenagers.
Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, said he's interested in amending Iowa's bill to require parental consent rather than being a total ban for minors.
Starting tomorrow, state officials may begin terminating Medicaid healthcare coverage for thousands of Iowans who were enrolled in the program during the pandemic.
Since the start of the federal public health emergency in March 2020, anyone who initially qualified stayed enrolled in Medicaid, even if their income later rose above eligibility limits. Elizabeth Matney, the State of Iowa’s Medicaid director, says over the next year, income reviews will lead to what she calls disenrollment in Medicaid.
She says about 17.6% of the current population will be disenrolled, or around 150,000-160,000 individuals.”
Matney says the state has been sending notices to Medicaid members of the rule change that takes effect April 1st to avoid errors. “
States have 14 months to review Medicaid eligibility and renew enrollment in the program but can begin terminating coverage on April 1. More than 880,000 Iowans are currently enrolled in Medicaid.
A bill to give tax cuts to some Nebraskans is headed to a second round of voting.
LB754advanced Thursday with the approval of 41 state senators, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
A new amendment added to the bill would cut income tax for the top two tiers instead of just one. The bill would also lower the corporate income tax rate to 3.99% by 2027.
Additionally, it would make Social Security benefits fully exempt from taxes by next year — one year earlier than anticipated.
Lawmakers also added some child-care tax credits.
Because of recent amendments, Senators don’t yet know how much revenue the state will lose if the bill is approved.
For the first time in eight years, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission allowed MidAmerican Energy Co., a service provider covering Sioux Falls and the southeast corner of the state, to raise their rates on natural gas for 104,000 customers.
PUC approved the rate increase as part of a settlement stipulation between PUC staff, MidAmerican, and intervenor Steven Wegman, a Sioux Falls resident, during a commission meeting on Tuesday.
MidAmerican's vice president of corporate communications says the rate increase will be put into effect on April 1.
The housing committee for Sioux City's RAGBRAI is seeking local residents to open up their homes and yards for riders’ overnight stays the weekend of July 22-23.
To date, 750 registered RAGBRAI riders have requested local accommodation for the 50th anniversary of the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, which started in Sioux City in 1973.
Coordinators have already secured housing for about 300 cyclists, but at least 450 riders still need area hosts. RAGBRAI insures all registered participants.
Thousands of RAGBRAI riders will stay with full-service charter organizations that will operate from Chris Larsen Park and Riverside Park. Smaller teams and individual riders, however, rely on local hosts. The region's hotels are filling up quickly, according to a statement from Sioux City RAGBRAI 2023.
