The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that Republican lawmakers don’t have to disclose their emails as part of a lawsuit over sweeping changes to Iowa’s voting laws.
The League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa sued the state of Iowa challenging a law passed three years ago that gives Iowans less time to vote in person and by mail. The group asked a district court judge to compel several Republican lawmakers to provide their communications with others about the process of passing that legislation.
A Polk County District Court judge ordered the lawmakers to provide those documents to LULAC’s lawyers, and that was appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.
The Court determined lawmakers’ communications about the legislative process and legislative intent can be shielded. And that the documents requested in this case aren’t relevant to LULAC’s claims that the voting law changes are unconstitutional.
January’s above-normal snowfall has improved drought conditions across the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.
However, state hydrologist Tim Hall says the latest Drought Monitor Report shows that almost 20 percent of the state in Northeast Iowa is still in extreme drought and 56 percent of the state is in some level of drought. Northwest Iowa is still abnormally dry.
Hall says Iowa has had two feet of snow over large parts of the state, but it all melted fairly quickly, with no flooding, which means that the soils are very dry.
For a review of Iowa’s water resource trends, visit www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.
Sixty one percent of rural Iowa hospitals no longer have OB services as of last month.
That’s according to a report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.
The report also found that of the 36 rural hospitals still providing OB care, 58 percent reported losing money on the services.
Harold Miller is the president and CEO of the non-profit policy center. He says insurance companies and Medicaid need to reimburse hospitals more for the cost of births.
"We've suggested that they also need to pay differently. Rather than simply paying for each birth, they need to be paying the hospital to be able to support the availability of the appropriate staff to do that."
Miller says policymakers also need to find ways to recruit and train more people to work in rural health care.
A South Dakota Searchlight/Argus Leader, investigation last year showed that Native American children made up nearly 74% of the state’s foster care system, despite accounting for only 13% of the state’s overall child population.
An effort to establish an advisory council to host formal conversations and gather data on the high number of Native American children in South Dakota’s foster care system is now headed to the Senate floor. HB 1232 was approved by a Senate committee Friday morning. The House approved the bill Wednesday.
The bill creates an Indian Child Advisory council would be made up of representatives from the legislature, South Dakota’s nine tribes, the Department of Social Services and other child welfare experts.
The bill’s co-sponsor. is Rep. Tamara St. John, R-Sisseton, an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton tribe. St John explained during House debate on the bill Wednesday, that the council would bring key stakeholders together to have formal conversations and find possible solutions.
“This advisory council will allow for much needed conversations beyond just the Indian Child Welfare Act, and allow for a focus on prevention, new partnerships, and to access resources and most of all push for positive outcomes.”
The Argus Leader reported that Sen. Tim Reed of Brookings opposed the bill saying he was worried about the lack of participation from the Center of the Prevention of Childhood Maltreatment.
