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Government Policy and Law

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Branstad sparks debate over IPERS pensions

Des Moines Register: Gov. Terry Branstad opened a debate Monday over the future of public employees’ pensions in Iowa, although he says he doesn’t want to create financial hardships for government workers and he recognizes the …

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Former GOP leader: ‘It’s not all roses and sunshine’

A former House majority leader warned his Republican colleagues that they won’t get everything they want, even with control of the Legislature and the governor’s office, because the GOP has its own disagreements, the Cedar Rapids …

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Embezzlement from small town coffers still a problem

Iowa Public Radio: A three-year-old state law to crack down on theft of public funds from Iowa’s smallest cities has not cut down on fraud. Six hundred small towns are now getting surprise visits from the …

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Judge halts rule expanding overtime for millions

A federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction against an Obama administration regulation expanding by millions the number of workers who would be eligible for time-and-a-half overtime pay, The New York Times reported.


The regulation…
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Health insurance may be scrapped from public collective bargaining

Des Moines Register: State officials want to remove health insurance benefits from new union contracts with state and local government workers, eliminating those items from Iowa’s collective bargaining law for public employees. The concept being explored …

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Vilsack: Trump won’t dump Renewable Fuel Standard

Bloomberg: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes the Renewable Fuel Standard will survive a Donald Trump administration. …

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Appeals court rejects lawsuit over Iowa egg sales in California

Radio Iowa: A federal appeals court has rejected the lawsuit Gov. Terry Branstad and officials from five other states filed to block a California law that Branstad argued discriminates against Iowa egg producers. In 2008, California …

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Pleasant Hill police add body cameras

Pleasant Hill police plan to use body cameras to “enhance the level of trust the police department has built with the community we serve,” Police Chief Al Pizzano said in a statement. The cameras can …

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Grassley remains concerned over ChemChina-Syngenta deal

Reuters: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said he is concerned that state-owned ChemChina, which is buying Swiss crop protection and seed group Syngenta for $43 billion, could use U.S. sovereign immunity laws to shield itself …

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House Republicans re-elect leaders but wait to reveal agenda

Iowa Public Radio: Republicans in the Iowa House have voted to reinstall the leaders who oversaw last week’s GOP success at the ballot box. Republicans now enjoy at a 59 seat majority in the House after …