Iowa Senate addresses child care, property taxes

April 5, 2021

Last week was the 12th week of the legislative session. It included the next important legislative deadline of the year. In order to be considered for the rest of the year, policy bills needed to be out of their original chamber and through committee in the second chamber. In other words, we spent time this week looking at policy bills sent to us from the House. Early in the week I was excited to vote yes on Senate File 496. This bill eliminates noncompete agreements with employees making, on a monthly average, $14.50 an hour or less. It prohibits noncompete agreements for low-wage ...

Catch more fish this year

March 16, 2021

Fishing success means different things to different people. To some anglers, success is catching a bunch of fish. They’re not concerned about size, they just want to feel something pulling back on their rod. Other anglers measure their success by the size of the fish ...

Early season walleyes like jigs

March 10, 2021

The recent warm weather has anglers excited, and some of the most excited anglers are those who like to chase and catch walleyes. All across Walleye Country, anglers who enjoy catching walleyes are getting ready to get in or on the water. In rivers that are home to walleyes, anglers are ...

Opinions worth signing

March 8, 2021

One of my all-time favorite movies is “Dumb and Dumber.” Yes, it’s stupid. Yes, it’s sophomoric. Yes, I should have better tastes. Dating back to the early 1990s, “Dumb and Dumber” is a comedy about a couple of well-intentioned but incredibly stupid young fellows who travel from Rhode Island to Colorado to help a young lady. I’ve watched the movie at least three times. Frankly, one of the reasons I enjoy the movie is because I, too, have done some stupid things. As with the characters in the film, my intentions were usually good. One such stupid but well-intentioned act ...

Late ice panfish

March 2, 2021

There is still plenty of ice on most of the lakes and ponds where many of us go ice fishing, but if the current weather holds, that ice could be leaving us before long. I hope to get on the ice a time or two more in the next couple of weeks, and if I do, I will be after panfish. Walleyes ...

The Capitol Roundup

March 1, 2021

The seventh week of session was busier as many bills moved out of committee. Next week is the first funnel week of this legislative session, meaning all Senate policy bills need to be out of Senate committees in order to be considered for the rest of the year. This deadline ensures we are focusing on the bills with enough support to advance through the process. I was also proud to hear Governor Reynolds has signed Senate File 269, which was the education funding increase we passed last week. Setting this increase early in session is important so local school districts can start working ...