(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democrats will hold Caucuses Monday, too, but they no longer go first in their party’s presidential nominating process. The party has begun mailing out presidential preference cards. “This is a new, a new animal.” And Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says the results from that mail-in process will be announced March 5th. “It’s really important that everyone, you know, have their opportunity to have their voices heard. And I think the great thing about it is, this is going to be so easy,” Hart says. Hart says Iowa Democrats still take their role in the political process seriously.

“They recognize that their voice does matter and that it’s their civic responsibility to participate,” says Hart. Arguing over candidates in person will not be Monday night’s focus, according to Hart. She says it will be about party business.  “That’s where we choose our precinct captains,” says Hart. “That’s where we choose our representatives that go on to the national convention. That’s where we have our platform resolutions. That’s the beginning of that process, all those things are really important to the party itself.”

Like The Iowa Republican Party’s Caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses will begin at 7 p.m. Monday.

This is the 511ia.org road report as of 11:25-a.m.

(Des Moines,Iowa) – Iowa District 18 Republican Representative Tom Moore, from Griswold, has issued his “Legislative Newsletter,” recapping the happenings this past week in the Iowa Legislature. Moore said “The 2nd Session of the 90th General Assembly convened on Monday January 8th, 2024. It is always fun to get back to the Capitol to renew relationships with Legislators, Lobbyists, and other personnel. Mostly the anticipation of what the session will bring creates excitement to get back to work.

“The first week often remains very ceremonial but also sees the meeting of Legislative Committees for the 1st time. Not much action takes place but getting back in the groove is nice. My committee assignments have not changed this year as I am on Education, Health and Human Services, Economic Growth and Information Technology, and I am Vice Chair of the Labor and Workforce Committee. “We heard Opening Day Speeches from Minority Leader Konfrst, Majority Leader Windschitl and Speaker Grassley. The speaker spoke of the impact of past legislation, all leading to the fact that Republicans now represent all or part of ALL 99 counties. He spoke of the many issues before us for this legislative session with emphasis on Education Reform.

“On Tuesday January 9th at 6:00 PM, Governor Kim Reynolds gave her seventh annual Condition of the State speech before the House and Senate. She began her speech reflecting on the Perry High School shooting, where 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff lost his life and 7 others were injured. Previously, only 58% of all Iowans in the workforce had training or education beyond high school which meant thousands of high-quality jobs were unfilled. The goal was to increase that number to 70% by 2025 with the Future Ready Iowa Act, which she announced had been accomplished ahead of schedule.

“Last year the school choice bill was passed, which gave families the choice to choose what is right for their children regardless of income. The rising tide of competition and choice helps everyone, which has been demonstrated by Des Moines public schools. Recently, a Des Moines superintendent highlighted their district’s efforts to “deliver an educational product that attracts our students and attracts parents to either stay with us or come back to us.”

“Governor Reynolds discussed how special education in Iowa is overseen by Area Education Agencies, or AEAs, which make up nine regional entities which were created in the 70s. She announced new legislation to change this, with her proposal AEAs will focus solely on students with disabilities, and independent oversight will move to the Department of Education. More importantly, school districts will control their special education funds. If schools like their services from their AEA, they can continue to use them. If they want to use a neighboring AEA, or go outside the AEA system by contracting a private company or partnering with other districts to share resources, they can do that. They can also choose to spend more on special education teachers and put their dollars right into the classroom. AEAs will not be ended or services cut that people depend on. We are NOT reducing special education funding at all, rather giving control of the funding to those who work directly with your child on a daily basis.

“With 35% of Iowa’s third graders unable to read proficiently, we need to focus on our student’s reading ability. This is still better than most states, as California has 60% of third graders not meeting that mark. Currently, we are the only state that doesn’t require competency in early literacy instruction for the teacher licensure test. By partnering with Lexia Learning, the state will provide, at no charge, a training program based on the science of reading to all elementary school teachers.

“The Governor also recognized that the success of kids will always depend on great teachers, as teachers are some of the most influential figures in children’s lives. Therefore, we want young Iowans to see the teaching profession as one of the highest callings one can have, and to do that we have to change teacher pay. She asked the legislature to invest $96 million in new money to increase starting pay by 50%, to $50,000 and set a minimum salary of $62,000 for teachers with at least 12 years of experience. $10 million will also be allocated to a merit-based grant program that will reward teachers who have gone above and beyond to help their students succeed. This will put IA in the top-five states for starting pay and help recruit better potential teachers. She affirmed that we must also support new moms and their families. Currently, Medicaid only covers postpartum care for two months after birth, but she proposed to expand that coverage to 12 months for new moms who make less than $42,000 a year.

“Mental health has remained a challenge for many Iowans, and there has been improvements through investing millions into behavioral health providers, creating the state’s first children’s mental health system, and funding numerous impactful projects around the state. This year, YSS, a youth-centered non-profit, will open Ember Recovery Campus, a “groundbreaking new facility offering 70 behavioral-health beds that will focus on emergency shelter, crisis stabilization, and addiction treatment.” She proposed to combine the 32 different substance-use and mental-health regions together into seven new, unified behavioral health districts and increase support for these services using a portion of Iowa’s opioid settlement funds.

“Last year the goal of the alignment bill was better customer service for Iowans. So far we have already reduced the approval time for physician licenses from 65 days to 3, created a new building and construction division to consolidate permitting, building code standards, and safety inspections into a single front door, and are transitioning more than 80 state agency websites into a single platform to improve the user experiencer Iowans. We cut down the size of the government by cutting 21 agencies, removing 620 open positions, and saved millions of dollars in the first year. One more area needs alignment though, boards and commissions. All 256 boards and commissions will be reviewed, which has never been done in Iowa’s history. It would eliminate 111 redundant or obsolete boards, which is a 43% decrease. It will also require the boards to be reevaluated every 5 years.

“We turned our unemployment system into a reemployment system.” We have a full unemployment trust fund where we can reduce the unemployment insurance payments that employers make by half, which will result in significant savings for employers of all sizes, saving more than $800 million over five years. Businesses will be able to create more jobs, increase salaries, or reinvest into their communities rather than pay into the government. Iowa is also fighting China as they attempt to buy American farmland. With Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, we have developed a bill that will enhance reporting and enforcement, increase penalties, and provide more transparency to Iowans on what land is currently under foreign ownership.

“In 2018, our income-tax rate was the 6th highest in the nation at 8.98%. By passing legislation that further cut rates, our most recent income-tax bill established a flat rate of 3.9% set to phase in gradually until finally taking effect in two years. She proposed a new bill that reduces the rate to a flat 3.65%, then in 2025 to 3.5%. Our great Governor Kim Reynolds ended the speech by discussing Iowa’s future as one of the most livable, affordable states in the country that is #1 for retirement and young home ownership. Iowa remains a fixed point of prosperity and stability which couldn’t happen without our truly remarkable Iowans! If you were unable to watch or hear her condition speech and would like to, click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUuOg2kpYZc

“Chief Justice Susan Christensen gave her 4th Condition of the Judiciary speech on Wednesday January 10th at 10 AM. Her previous themes have touched on hope, peace, and listening. Last year, the Juvenile Justice Task Force was created. One recommendation is already being implemented, the diversion program. This program provides low level juvenile offenders with opportunities to address negative behaviors and become productive members of society, without the barriers the juvenile justice system may unintentionally create. Since implementing this policy on June 5th last year, we have diverted almost 2,500 youth from formal processing. Her theme for 2024 was to build connections. She asked for a 4.3% increase in funding. 95% of this budget is responsible for salaries and benefits. She argued we need to competitively pay our employees and judges to ensure all Iowans have meaningful access to justice. The purchasing power of judges has decreased 17.2% in the past 12 years. Every state bordering Iowa pays their judges more than we do.

“Furthermore, Iowa judges do not participate in IPERS, the retirement plan offered to most public employees in Iowa. Rather, they use the Judicial Retirement System. The rates judges pay into their pension system is no longer consistent and fluctuates. Therefore, judges are experiencing a net pay decrease. This can be fixed with a fixed contribution rate structure, which is proposed in a bill the Judicial Branch has filed. Chief Justice Christensen wants the three branches of governments to work together to help the public understand their respective roles and duties. One way this has been improved, is Court on the Road. Starting in 2011, they went to hold court in various Iowa communities in an effort to interact with adults, students, and local legislators about real cases on their docket. Since then, they have visited 228 schools and held court in 35 communities. Her new idea is Trial Court Show and Tell, which welcomes legislators to visit their local courthouse while it is in session to observe what a typical day looks like for trial court judges.

“Last year she brought up the lack of indigent defense resources in Iowa. The statewide contract attorney shortage is threatening to bring criminal proceedings to a halt. Therefore Iowa needs to increase the pay for attorneys doing indigent defense work. Every state that touches Iowa already pays more than us. With the lack of contract attorneys, justice is in jeopardy. We need more attorneys in rural Iowa, along with creative solutions to attract them. Recently, she called upon the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) to implement a federal law to require employers to provide basic accommodations, such as time and space, for breastfeeding mothers at work. Pottawattamie County has been the first to notify them of their lactation room which helps jurors, court staff, attorneys, and litigants participate in the legal system with dignity.

“Overall, Chief Justice Susan Christensen discussed the desperate need for judicial employees in order to provide Iowans with access to justice. Since court reporting has now expanded to include steno mask, veterans, a previously untapped pool of potential court reporters, can be recruited and hired. In order to accomplish this, she has connected with Home Base Iowa and Workforce Development.

“Major General Stephen Osborn presented his 1st Condition of the Guard in Joint Session on Thursday January 1th at 10 AM. Major General Stephen Osborn highlighted numerous deployments around the world and here in Iowa emphasizing the Dual Roll of the Guard which is to serve Iowa and the Federal Government. He spoke of 9,000 members of which 6,500 are part time while over 2,200 are full time soldiers. One major operation was Operation Lone Star where 109 members of the Guard volunteered to go to the Texas border in support of the much needed border protection and administration. He spoke of his 4 areas of emphasis as being: People, Readiness, Modernization, and Communication. Although recruitment has slowed the Guard remains 99.5% ready and they are retaining Guard men and women at an 80% rate.

Iowans should be proud of our Iowa National Guard as they are elite and at the ready to serve because their condition is excellent!” – Tom Moore

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Board of Education has approved eight new charter schools for state funding — five in Des Moines and three in Cedar Rapids. Most would begin classes in the fall of 2025. Mike Huguelet helped recruit many of the new charters as executive director of the Iowa Coalition for Public Charter Schools. Hugeuelet says he targeted organizations with experience in other states with dropout recovery and closing achievement gaps.

“I look at public charter schools as problem solvers,” he says, “so there’s no reason to bring a new school here unless it’s solving a problem or filling a need in the community.” The Omaha-based nonprofit Opportunity Education — backed by T-D Ameritrade billionaire Joe Ricketts — was approved to open Quest Forward Charter Schools in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Chief Learning Officer Raymond Ravaglia says the schools will cover 6th to 12th grades and will specialize in active learning and career development.

“So they’re not just learning stuff for the sake of learning it,” he says. “They’re learning stuff because learning is a pathway to a future career and life success. California-based Scholarship Prep plans to open an elementary and middle school aimed at serving low income and homeless students on the south side of Des Moines. Governor Kim Reynolds announced this week she plans to use five MILLION dollars from federal COVID relief funds to establish start-up grants for charter schools.

(Radio Iowa) – Events with the G-O-P presidential candidates are getting cancelled or postponed today (Friday) due to the weather conditions. Nikki Haley’s campaign is holding telephone town halls instead. The Super PAC backing Ron DeSantis indicated it will make a call on events late today (Friday). Former President Donald Trump is due in Iowa tomorrow (Saturday). Stacy Bronner says the forecast for frigid temperatures MONDAY won’t keep her from showing up at her Caucus in Cedar Rapids. “I really think people will turn out. This is Iowa,” she says. “I mean people are used to it, you know, if you live here long enough you’re used to it.”

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley campaigning in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 11, 2024. (RI photo)

Last (Thursday) night, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley told an eastern Iowa crowd that if she can brave the cold, they can too. “Look, I know what’s going to be negative 15 on Monday. I don’t even know what that is that’s so like I literally can’t comprehend it it’s going to be negative 15 But I’m going to be out there and I want you to go out there.”

The current forecast shows a low of minus 18 is expected on Monday.

(Radio Iowa) – Pam Jochum, the Democratic leader in the Iowa Senate, will not run for reelection. Jochum, who was chosen in June by Senate Democrats to be their leader, made the announcement this (Friday) morning. Jochum has represented Dubuque in the Iowa legislature since 1993, first as a member of the House and she’s been a state senator since 2009. Jochum served four years as Senate President when Democrats were in the majority. She’s one of three women to have served as senate president — but the only Democratic woman to do so.

“In my lifetime I’ve cracked a few ceilings. I’m not so sure they’re glass. Sometimes they feel like marble,” Jochum told Radio Iowa in December. “…In fact, I was the first woman from Dubuque to get elected to the Iowa legislature.”

Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum (D-Dubuque) has announced she will not seek reelection. (Official photo)

Jochum, who is 69, said in a written statement released this (Friday) morning that she’s excited to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders.

Double click on the image to enlarge.

(Radio Iowa) – Much of Iowa is under a Blizzard Warning and the Iowa State Patrol is posting photos taken this (Friday) morning on its Facebook page of mangled cars on snow-packed roads to discourage motorists from venturing out. With heavy snow falling and strong winds, many areas are seeing white-out conditions. Woodbury County Emergency Management’s Michael Montino says everyone should think twice about going out the next few days. “This can be dangerous at times,” Montino says, “so we recommend that people take appropriate precautions and do what they can to keep themselves and their families safe.” Forget driving on the iffy roads, just going outside to shovel the walks or driveway is extremely risky, as he says the bitter cold is dangerous, especially with those strong winds.

“If you can avoid going out and traveling during this time, I would highly recommend staying indoors. It is going to be very, very cold, and we’re going to see those wind chills drop into the negatives,” Montino says. “As a result of that, I would recommend avoiding long-term exposure outside to avoid hypothermia and frostbite.” National Weather Service meteorologist Kristy Carter says storms of this magnitude are fairly rare and usually only occur once or twice per decade.

Crash on I-80 near Hickman Rd. in Des Moines (ISP Facebook photo)

“We’re already seeing plenty of blowing and drifting snow from what’s already fallen,” Carter says. “We’ve had rates around half an inch to an inch per hour at times through some of our stronger bands in central Iowa. So overall, conditions are pretty hazardous out there on the roadways with completely snow-covered roads.” Schools and businesses across Iowa are closing by the dozens and many churches are already calling off their Sunday services. One Des Moines TV station has a closing list 266 items long. Carter says it’ll be a good weekend to stay home and stay safe.

“We are going to be looking at dangerous temperatures that are going to be following all the snow, blowing snow, as we get into the weekend and early next week,” Carter says. “We have wind chills as low as 45 below zero, so some of the early mornings — Sunday and Monday — it’s gonna be dangerously cold out there.” Keep up with the changing forecast at weather-dot-gov.