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Government Policy and Law

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Iowa cattle producers call for investigation of ‘big four’ meatpackers

Des Moines Register: Iowa cattle producers are calling for a joint investigation by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Agriculture into the nation’s largest meatpacking companies, saying they’re using their market power to manipulate beef prices. …

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Senate passes bills addressing ‘cliff effect,’ doubles income eligibility for child care tax credits

Groups working to improve access to quality child care in Iowa are touting the Legislature’s passage of two measures they say will help strengthen the state’s workforce by making quality child care more accessible to …

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IRS: 88% of households with children to begin receiving automatic CTC payments

The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today that the first monthly payment of the expanded and newly advanceable Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan will be made …

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Des Moines lifts COVID-related mask mandate

Des Moines has lifted its mandate that people wear masks when in public, the city announced this afternoon. Mayor Frank Cownie had instituted the mandate in late August in an effort to slow the spread …

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NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: Five years of managed care in Iowa: State says Medicaid has stabilized, but patients disagree

Years after privatization, there’s still a deep divide in Iowa when it comes to the state’s Medicaid program, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. Five years ago, Iowa turned the state-run program private. The leaders of the program …

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Jury awards former Des Moines arborist nearly $650,000

Des Moines Register: A Polk County jury on Tuesday found that the city of Des Moines violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act and must pay $633,000 in lost wages and damages to a former employee of …

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Feeding Iowans Task Force to scale back its work as report details efforts to combat food insecurity in Iowa

Northeast Iowa Food Bank volunteers Eileen Gunderson, left, and Grace Coates check dates on perishable items in the food bank’s sorting room in Waterloo. File photo by Duane Tinkey

A year after it was created to help fight …

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Iowa teachers want to be in on discussions for spending federal pandemic relief money

Radio Iowa: The Iowa teachers union is calling on superintendents and school boards to include teachers and other school staff in discussions about how districts plan to use the latest batch of $770 million in federal …

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Iowa secretary of state joins #BizSchemeSOS partnership

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has joined his National Association of Secretaries of State colleagues in a new education effort, #BizSchemeSOS. The goal is to encourage the public, business owners and future entrepreneurs to …

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Iowa DHS allocates more than $5M in pandemic relief for Iowa foster youths

The Iowa Department of Human Services announced Tuesday it has allocated more than $5 million in new funding to benefit current and former foster care youths adversely affected by COVID-19. Pandemic Relief for Iowa Foster Youth and …