Refugee resettlement agencies in Iowa are running out of funding after the Trump administration stopped providing federal funds to support new arrivals.
Lutheran Services of Iowa has not been reimbursed for any of their federal expenses since December. This includes services they say are not affected by a State Department order in January to stop resettlement work.
Director of Refugee Services, Nicholas Wuertz (werts), says LSI is waiting for $1.5 million dollars in reimbursements.
“Homelessness and lack of resources for these new families will be, will be a reality in a few weeks, if, if the federal government does not fulfill its its commitment to supporting the programs, and it's just, it's sad because it does not that does not have to be the outcome,” Wuertz said. 16SECS
Wuertz says Congress has already approved these funds. Without the money, LSI will continue to lay off employees.
Lutheran Services of Iowa has an office in Sioux City.
*Additionally, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has signed a bill that bans the use of eminent domain to obtain land for carbon dioxide pipelines.
The new law is in response to Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed 2,500 mile pipeline. The Ames-based company aims to capture CO2 from ethanol plants across five states and store it deep underground in North Dakota.
After Iowa, South Dakota has the highest number of ethanol plant partners on the project.
Emma Schmit is the director of Pipeline Fighters with Bold Alliance. She said the new bill is an amazing victory for South Dakota people, and hopes other states pass similar laws.
An Iowa bill banning eminent domain on agricultural land was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee.
A Summit spokesperson said in a statement that it’s unfortunate South Dakota “changed the rules in the middle of the game” and that ethanol plants there will face a competitive disadvantage compared to plants in neighboring states.
CO2 pipeline supporters say the project will unlock low-carbon fuel markets and tax credits for biofuel producers.
*In other news, when a school district lays off teachers, it must be based on performance not seniority, under a proposal that passed out of the Iowa House Education Committee on Wednesday.
The bill says when schools lay off staff because of funding or enrollment, they should start with administrative staff. If layoffs reach licensed employees, they would have to be based on things such as student academic growth, and not how long they’ve worked there.
Democratic Representative Heather Matson, of Ankeny, said many school districts already have layoff policies. She said performance-based layoffs unfairly target teachers with challenging classrooms.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Representative Ryan Weldon, of Ankeny, says the proposal promotes consistency and fairness across Iowa schools. Weldon said the bill only requires schools to adopt a policy for laying off staff. It does not mandate any cuts.
*Additionally, back in 1999, a major project greatly altered the routing of U.S. Highway 71 through much of the Okoboji area, widening it to four lanes in places to reduce traffic congestion.
Now, discussions are underway to reduce some of Highway 71 from four to three lanes. An informational session on that possibility will be held Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m, at the Milford Community Center.
Beyond the session, there is an online survey for people to share their opinions at the Iowa Department of Transportation website. Milford city officials are working with IDOT on the possible changes.
*A longtime former Northwest Iowa lawmaker has died.
Jack Kibbie, who served in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature for more than 30 years, died on Tuesday in Arizona, at age 95.
Kibbie lived in Emmetsburg, and first served in the Iowa House in 1960, before moving to become a state senator from 1964 to 1968. After 20 years away, he returned to the Iowa Senate in 1988 and served there through 2012.
Kibbie at one point was the top Democrat serving in the Iowa Senate, and he was a longtime proponent of supporting community colleges.
*In South Dakota, both chambers in the legislature have passed a bill requiring drivers’ licenses, permits and state IDs to indicate citizenship status.
Governor Larry Rhoden has the bill for consideration for signing it, to make it law.
Representative Mary Fitzgerald is the bill’s prime sponsor, who said the purpose is to ensure non-citizens aren’t voting in South Dakota.
Fitzgerald said, "We want to make sure that we do have legal elections, and elections that we can have faith in and that we know that those are held legally."
Proponents also said it makes verifying citizenship easier for poll workers.
Representative Kadyn Wittman opposes the bill because she said there are questions left unanswered, as to what documents people would have to be shown to prove citizenship to get it placed on licenses.
Wittman added that she has “a lot of concerns with implementation and the actual ability for us to carry out this program."
