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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

President Donald Trump talks to reporters on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. (Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA/TNS)

President Trump declares major disaster in 56 Iowa counties after flooding

Sarah Watson, Politics Editor March 23, 2019

President Trump declared a major disaster Saturday for 56 counties in Iowa due to flooding that began March 12 near the Missouri river and in other parts of the state. The declaration, which allows...

Vice President Mike Pence listens to a briefing by acting Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost at the El Centro Border Patrol station in San Diego on April 30, 2018. (Alejandro Tamayo/Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)

VP Mike Pence joins Gov. Kim Reynolds as flooding in the midwest continues

Julia Shanahan, Politics Reporter March 19, 2019

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds joined Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday to visit those affected by major flooding in Nebraska. Western Iowa counties were also hit hard by the flooding. Reynolds issued a...

The Capitol building in Des Moines is pictured on Saturday, April 29, 2018.

Iowa Legislature takes up concerns with student loans

Emily Wangen, Politics Reporter March 14, 2019

Update 4/8: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed SF 304 into law Monday following unanimous passage through both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. It was introduced in mid-February, passed the Senate on March...

The Iowa Legislature gaveled in Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 to start the 2019 legislative session. Top issues Republican leadership and area legislators have identified include reducing taxes and government oversight, mental health, and felon-voting reform.

Campus free-speech bill heads to Iowa governor’s desk

Caleb McCullough, News Reporter March 14, 2019

A bill addressing free speech on college campuses passed the Iowa House on Thursday afternoon on a 52-44 vote. The bill would designate most outdoor areas of community colleges and state universities...

The Capitol building in Des Moines is pictured on Saturday, April 29, 2018.

Judicial nominating reform bill passes Iowa Senate

Julia DiGiacomo, Politics Reporter March 12, 2019

The Iowa Senate passed a proposal Tuesday to change the processes of the judicial nominating commission for Iowa supreme court justices, which would reduce the power of attorneys in favor of legislative...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during her first Condition of the State address in the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018.

Reynolds announces new simplified form to restore felons’ voting rights

Julia DiGiacomo, Politics Reporter March 12, 2019

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a new application Tuesday with which Iowans convicted of felonies can apply to restore their voting rights. The new form no longer requires a $15 application fee,...

The Capitol building in Des Moines is pictured on Saturday, April 29, 2018.

Campus free-speech bill passes Iowa Senate

Emily Wangen, Politics Reporter March 11, 2019

The Iowa Senate on Monday afternoon passed a bill addressing free-speech rights on college campuses on a 35-11 vote. Under Senate File 274, public higher-education institutions could no longer designate...

Voters wait to vote at the University of Iowa Library.

Bill could kill satellite voting at UI, decrease access to polls for students

Sarah Watson and Emily Wangen March 8, 2019

Buildings on Iowa’s three university campuses may be off-limits for future satellite voting locations under a proposal in the Iowa Senate, which cleared a key legislative deadline Thursday. Some counties...

From the roof of the Iowa Historical Museum in Des Moines, the state capitol seems to hover above Des Moines East Village. (Robert Cross/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

What bills are alive after the funnel deadline?

Julia DiGiacomo, politics reporter March 7, 2019

The first round of bills have been sifted through committees in the Iowa Legislature.  The surviving bills are one step closer to becoming law in Iowa, from expanding the CBD program to dispensing birth...

The Capitol building in Des Moines is pictured on Saturday, April 29, 2018.

Bill restoring felon voting rights advances in Iowa Legislature

Sarah Watson, Politics Editor March 7, 2019

The Iowa House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday to amend the Iowa Constitution to allow felons who have fulfilled their sentence to vote. The proposal, which passed in...

Contributed (Wikimedia Commons)

Iowa Republican Party member appointed to serve as new regent

Marissa Payne and Andy Mitchell March 6, 2019

An Iowa Republican Party official will be the newest member of the state Board of Regents later this spring, maintaining the majority-Republican political balance of the nine-member governing board of...

The Iowa State capitol is shown on Tuesday, January 13, 2015.

College betting sticking point in Iowa sports-gambling proposals

Sarah Watson, Politics Editor March 6, 2019

  Sports fans in Iowa may be able to bet on college and professional sports after this legislative session. Two proposals to legalize and regulate gambling on athletics in Iowa will stay alive...