Four of the Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate pledged last night (Tuesday) during a forum in Des Moines that they would reduce government regulations and vote to repeal “ObamaCare” if they’re elected. But the candidates differed on whether there’s a need for a law giving small business owners the right to refuse to serve same-sex couples. Arizona’s Republican governor recently vetoed a bill that would have carved out a religious exemption for business owners who, for instance, don’t want to be involved in gay weddings.

Candidate Mark Jacobs of West Des Moines, a retired business executive, says religious organizations should “100 percent” have that right to refuse to participate in gay weddings. “But I think for people that choose to enter the field of commerce in businesses, I think we have to make sure that we have an environment that those businesses are open to law-abiding citizens and I’m very concerned about the discriminatory nature that could creep into that if we start to open that door,” Jacobs said.

Sam Clovis of Hinton, an economics professor, says Arizona’s governor should have signed that bill into law. “This, to me, is one of the most fundamental questions that we will have to wrestle with as a society,” Clovis said. “…At no other time in history — and I’m the oldest one sitting on this stage, I’ll tell you — I have never seen in my life the assault on religious liberty that we see today.”

Matt Whitaker of Ankeny, a former federal prosecutor, says the federal government is guilty of encroaching on religious freedoms in a number of cases, but he says there’s no need for a law granting businesses a “religious exemption.”  “As a Christian, I practice my Christian religion and I don’t want to get in the way of others whether you’re Muslim or whether you’re Jewish or some other denomination from you practicing your religion,” but I don’t think we need a federal law to enforce that right because it’s already evidenced in the First Amendment to our Constitution.”

Joni Ernst of Red Oak, a state senator, says it’s a complicated issue that has to be sorted through. “We want to ensure that we’re not discriminating, but then on the other hand we’re not forcing those (business owners) to do something that disagrees with what they believe as a religion,” Ernst said.

All four candidates expressed concerns about the so-called “common core” education standards that supporters say will lead to a better-educated workforce. The candidates said curriculum decisions should be made at the state and local level. The forum was sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Business.

(Radio Iowa)

Record cold this winter could have an impact on the start of the spring construction season. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson, Kerry Koonce says warmer temperatures won’t immediately signal the start of construction. “The ground, they’re saying, is frozen so deep that that’s really going to have an impact on when some of them get started,” Koonce says. Spring begins on Thursday, but Koonce says it will be awhile before spring construction takes off.

She says things probably won’t pick up until we get into April. The construction industry lost jobs for the second month in a row in January.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

MARQUETTE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of a massive fire that damaged or destroyed several businesses and homes in the northeast Iowa community of Marquette. Firefighters from eight area departments battled the blaze for hours after it was first reported Monday morning on North Street in downtown Marquette. No injuries were reported.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge says a cancer-stricken 73-year-old man accused of killing his wife in 1997 can leave an Iowa prison and live at his Minnesota home until trial. Judge Paul Miller ruled Tuesday that John Bloomfield will be on house arrest at his St. Paul, Minn., residence until the July 8 trial. Bloomfield is charged in the slaying of 57-year-old Frances Bloomfield.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has overwhelmingly passed legislation that aims to increase penalties for offenders in kidnapping cases involving minors. The bill would toughen penalties for kidnapping offenders in cases involving victims 17 years old and younger. It also would eliminate earned-time credit that reduces an inmate’s sentence for good behavior.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has approved a bill that would require state educators to provide schools with information on radon safety and encourage them to test for the gas. Schools would report to the state Department of Education about how they’re practicing radon safety. The bill returns to the Senate.