Jeneary Comments On Transgender Athletic Bill
(Des Moines) — A controversial bill dealing with transgender identities and athletic participation passed the Iowa House last week. The bill, HF-2416, passed along party lines with the House majority Republican party approving the measure, and the Democrats voting against the bill. The bill stipulates that a person born to which gender at the time of the birth certificate should participate in that gender’s sporting events. State House Representative, Dr. Tom Jeneary a Republican from Le Mars says the bill was referred to as “Saving Girls Sports.”
Jeneary voted in favor of the bill and offers an explanation for his position.
Democrats cried foul, and say the bill discriminates against transgender individuals. Jeneary says the bill is not meant to discriminate against transgender people, but to only make athletic competition to remain fair for all.
A companion bill, Senate File 2342, has cleared a Senate committee, but as of yet has not been assigned a date for debate in the Senate chamber.
Bill to Ban State Ownership of Ben & Jerry’s Parent Company Stock
(Des Moines, IA) — A bill to prohibit the state-run pension fund from owning stock in the parent company of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream has cleared the Iowa House and is scheduled for debate in the Senate today (Monday). In July, the founders of Ben and Jerry’s announced their ice cream would no longer be sold in disputed territories in Israel. Representative Carter Nordman, a Republican from Adel, says the sole purpose of the ‘Boycott Israel’ movement is to “economically destroy and cripple the State of Israel.” The U-K company Unilever (yoo-nih-LEE-ver) bought Ben and Jerry’s two decades ago but agreed to continue the ice company’s social missions. Representative Mary Wolfe (silent E), a Democrat from Clinton, accuses Republicans of “bullying Ben and Jerry’s founders” and says they have a right to “respectfully disagree” with Israeli policy.
34 State Senate Races on the 2022 Ballot
(Des Moines, IA) — Members of the Iowa Senate are typically elected to four-year terms, but due to the once-a-decade redistricting process — some winning state senate candidates this November will be elected to two-year terms. General elections are held every two years, and half of the 50 seats in the Iowa Senate are always on the General Election ballot. This year, candidates in the 25 districts labeled with odd numbers will be seeking four-year terms, but Secretary of State Paul Pate has announced another NINE state senate races in even-numbered districts will be on the ballot, too — and the winners will serve just two years. This is because redistricting redraws the boundaries and renumbers senate districts and the terms for SOME incumbents don’t match the rotating election schedule for odd and even numbered districts. Members of the Iowa House serve two-year terms, so all 100 House races are on the ballot every two years.
Candidates Seeking State Or Federal Elected Positions Need To File With Iowa Secretary Of State
DES MOINES – The candidate filing period for state and federal offices in the 2022 primary and general elections began Monday, February 28 and runs through Friday, March 18 at 5 p.m. Candidates must file their nominating petitions and affidavits of candidacy with the Office of Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, either in the Capitol Building or in the Lucas Office Building.
An updated list of candidates whose papers have been received and accepted will be published to the Iowa Secretary of States’ website at the end of each day and will also be updated periodically. That page is available here and will also be accessible from the home page of the Secretary of State’s website, https://sos.iowa.gov/.
Pictures of candidates submitting their paperwork in the Secretary of State’s Capitol office will be posted on the Secretary of State’s Facebook page. These photos are available for your use.
Information about petition and filing requirements are available in the Candidate’s Guide, available here for the primary, and here for the [sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/candidates/2022gencandguide.pdf]general election.
Board of Regents Approves Projects on University of Iowa Campus
(Iowa City, IA) — The Board of Regents has approved millions of dollars for the replacement of windows in the bridge between the Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the John Pappajohn Pavilion on the University of Iowa campus. U-I senior vice president for finance and operations, Rod Lehnertz (len-erts), says the windows are cracked, delaminated, and have developed blemishes. All windows in the bridge are set to be replaced, but it’s unknown so far if that will be the case for the hospital windows. The windows of the Children’s Hospital are where patients view the waves of football fans at Kinnick Stadium after the first quarter of games — a tradition that has gotten nationwide attention. Work could begin in September.
Marshalltown Native and Family Trapped in Ukraine
(Manchester, IA) — A Marshalltown native and his family were forced to flee from their homes in Ukraine as Russia invaded the country. Burgis Barr moved to Ukraine after marrying a girl from there he met online. His mom Carrie lives in Marshalltown and says they’ve had a difficult journey, citing bumper-to-bumper traffic that barely moved and a closed custom station at the Romanian border. She says the family of a foreign exchange student from Romania has agreed to take in her son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids, but at last report they were still stuck on the Ukrainian side of the border.
