Liam halawith

Iowa City

Summer News Intern at The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA)

Iowa Politics Nerd | Summer Executive Editor 🏛 @thedailyiowan | Past: @gazettedotcom, @seiowaunion | Send tips, comments to [email protected]

Articles

Iowa approved for waiver limiting choices on food assistance

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Iowans using food assistance will no longer be able to buy soda or candy using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars after President Donald Trump's administration granted Iowa's request for a waiver on Thursday. The waiver is one of two Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has applied for under the Trump administration as she aims to implement restrictions on public assistance programs. Reynolds submitted a waiver asking to place work requirements on Medicaid enrollees on April 15.
Iowa Republicans vote for tax cuts; slashing Medicaid, food assistance spending

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Iowa's Republican congressional delegation voted Thursday to advance a massive tax and spending cut bill championed by President Donald Trump. The bill would equate to a $3.7 trillion increase in the national debt, including a $660 billion deficit for next year, and roughly $1.6 trillion in spending cuts. Trump's "big beautiful bill" passed the U.S. House of Representatives 215-214, with all of the chambers Democrats and two Republicans voting against the measure.
Iowa lawmakers pass $9.425 billion budget after a week of overtime

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Iowa lawmakers passed a $9.425 billion budget to fund the state for the next fiscal year that starts on July 1. The budget uses $2 billion in reserve funds to fund the budget as state revenues are expected to decline due to previous years income tax cuts. The $9.425 billion budget is a $478.1 million - or 5.34 percent - increase over the current fiscal year's budget of $8.947 billion.
Iowa lawmakers set eyes on higher education reform during legislative session

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Iowa House Republicans promised a broad and wide-eyed review of Iowa's higher education system at the beginning of the legislative session in January, however, some of their biggest reforms failed to survive the legislative session. Iowa lawmakers endeavored to review and reform Iowa's higher education system, and the Iowa House made a committee explicitly for that purpose. The House Higher Education Committee, chaired by Rep.
AEA transition to a fee-for-service model has left rural districts paying more

1 month ago | mvlsun.com | Liam halawith

Megan Dial-Lapcewich, of Oxford, Iowa, knew her 3-year-old son Eddie was falling behind developmentally with his speech. She said she could only understand about 50 percent of what he said, when at that point in his development, she should be able to understand 75 percent. She said Eddie’s developmental delay in speech caused some frustrations at home as he tried to communicate with the family but couldn’t get his point across.
Rob Sand announces bid for governor

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Sand, the only Democrat to hold statewide office, has long been expected to make the bid for Iowa's governorship. "I'm doing it because we need more public service and less politics," Sand said in a video posted to social media Monday . "A lot of politicians yap about making a place redder or bluer. I want Iowa to be better and truer." With Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds not running for reelection , the open seat is expected to be competitive.
Iowa Senate advances new draft of property tax reforms

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Iowa Senate lawmakers advanced a second draft of Iowa Republicans' proposed property tax overhaul that would make the largest changes to the state's property tax system since the 1970s. The bill, Senate Study Bill 1227, would make a number of reforms to the property tax system, but it is a second draft of the changes Iowa lawmakers are considering for the property tax system after they unveiled a first draft in March.
AEA transition to a fee-for-service model has left rural districts paying more

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Megan Dial-Lapcewich, of Oxford, Iowa, knew her 3-year-old son Eddie was falling behind developmentally with his speech. She said she could only understand about 50 percent of what he said, when at that point in his development, she should be able to understand 75 percent. She said Eddie's developmental delay in speech caused some frustrations at home as he tried to communicate with the family but couldn't get his point across.
GOP targets DEI programs in higher education and government

1 month ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

Chuy Renteria, of West Liberty, quit his job at the University of Iowa's Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the summer of 2023 because they could "see the writing on the wall."Now the division has been first renamed and then shut down, the proof of its existence being scrubbed from university websites.
Iowa lawmakers release budget targets as they look to close session

2 months ago | dailyiowan.com | Liam halawith

State lawmakers released their target numbers for how much the state will spend in the next fiscal year Monday. Senate and House Republicans still have ground to cover, with both chambers releasing a different number for their budget targets. The budget targets signal the legislative session is drawing to a close, and leadership is finalizing negotiations on the final pieces of legislation, including the state's budget, during the final days of the legislative session.