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Republican Governor Kim Reynolds may soon face a lawsuit over a provision she signed into law. It would restrict publicly-funded health insurance from covering surgeries for transgender Iowans. If she approves a bill that restricts the attorney general’s authority, a lawsuit will likely follow that, too.
Several new laws in recent years have faced court challenges, and some have been struck down.
Asked why this seems to be happening a lot, Reynolds says it’s part of the process.
0507reynoldslaw: 14 “For some, I would say we have an overact—some of our legislators feel we have an overactive supreme court, and so they’re inserting, they’re not really recognizing the separate branches of government. That is why we have three separate branches of government.”
Reynolds supported extensive changes to how Iowa Supreme Court justices are nominated and now has a more narrow bill on her desk to do that. It will give her more power in the process. Democrats say that’s a power grab.
Iowa’s senior senator is hopeful about the direction of trade negotiations between the U.S. and China. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says it’s a good sign that negotiators from the two countries are still planning to meet in Washington this week, even after President Trump announced plans to increase tariffs on Chinese imports.
0507grassley2: 16 Three months ago I didn’t hold out much hope, except maybe to get them to buy soybeans again. And now we’re getting into a whole bunch of structural reforms that are absolutely necessary and the main purpose of the negotiations in the first place.
The trade talks are especially important for Iowa farmers who have seen soybean exports to China plummet over the past year.
