Conner Hendricks

5 days ago | kwqc.com | Conner Hendricks

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Friday, a much anticipated vote on eminent domain restrictions didn’t happen. The House has passed various bills for a few years, but a group of Republican senators are trying to force a vote in the Senate. This is in an attempt to stop a proposed carbon capture pipeline. State regulators gave the company permission to use eminent domain to access people’s property for the project.

6 days ago | kttc.com | Conner Hendricks

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Thursday, Iowa Republican House and Senate leaders announced they’ve agreed on a state budget, something they’ve argued about for months. The question now will be whether enough of their members also agree. According to a release from House Republicans, leaders have agreed to spend $9.425 billion in Fiscal Year 2026, a 5% increase compared to this year.

1 week ago | kwqc.com | Conner Hendricks

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Iowa lawmakers have been told by their leadership to head back to Des Moines. Even though Republicans hold two thirds of the seats in both the house and senate and work with a Republican governor, they have been divided for weeks on some major issues. The house hasn’t debated since April 24th and the senate since April 29th.

1 week ago | kttc.com | Conner Hendricks

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - State employees who are about to become parents are still waiting to see if Iowa Republican senators will vote on a plan to give them paid time off to spend with their babies. Iowa is one of nine states in the U.S. that doesn’t guarantee paid time off for state workers. Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa House both support the benefit but Republican senate leadership has not yet brought up the plan for a vote.

1 week ago | kwqc.com | Conner Hendricks

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Republican disagreements over the state budget aren’t just extending the end of the legislative session. They’re also delaying decisions on millions of dollars that could help Iowans with addiction. Bridges of Iowa is a residential addiction treatment center housed inside the Polk County Jail. The nonprofit is different from some others in that treatment doesn’t just last a month, but can provide more extensive help from six months to a year.