(Radio Iowa) – A senator has a plan that would give the governor authority to appoint the majority of members on commissions that nominate Iowans to be district court judges. Republican Senator Julian Garrett would have the governor appoint six of the 11 members on each of the district court nominating panels. “The process is already politicized from my perspective,” Garrett says. “We’re trying to improve it and fix it.”

A budget bill that’s cleared initial review in the Iowa Senate includes Garrett’s proposed change for district court judicial nominating commissions. Iowa governors appoint judges from lists of nominees submitted by these commissions and Peter Hird of the Iowa A-F-L C-I-O says the change would give the governor more influence over the judicial branch. “Giving the governor the power to appoint the majority of people who are going to nominate judges definitely to me and to our organization gives us a lot of concern.”

Garrett’s proposal also removes the judges from each of the district court nominating commissions. Doug Struyk, of the Iowa State Bar Association, says the perspective of a local district judge provides valuable insight about the lawyers who’re applying to become a judge. “The judge would have interacted with these applicants, seen their temperament, seen their timeliness of filings,” Struyk says, “and I believe that, from someone who’s been in the shoes of a judge, would be particularly good information for the other members of the commission to have when they were reviewing applicants.”

In 2019, Governor Reynolds signed a law that removed the longest serving Iowa Supreme Court justice from the commission that nominates people to serve on the Iowa Court of Appeals AND the Iowa Supreme Court. For the past five years Reynolds has also had the authority to appoint a majority of the members of that STATE judicial nominating commission.

(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has approved new rules for how Iowa landlords handle requests from renters who ask to have an emotional support animal or a service animal in their unit. Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf says it aligns Iowa law more closely with federal regulations.

“A good majority of our veterans have emotional support animals…We don’t want other people damaging the system of people who need these particular items — dogs, cats,” Webster says. “…We want to make sure those that are abusing it don’t have quite the right to abuse it that they do now.” Representative Jacob Bossman of Sioux City says the bill provides common sense guidelines for what kind of documents landlords can request from tenants who ask to have a service or support animal in their rental. The bill also outlines when landlords may reject requests due to safety or financial concerns.

“Pets are wonderful companions and as anyone who’s ever had a pet knows, they can also be very healing as well, “Bossman said. “That’s why support animals are so vital, but to maintain the stability of the system, there must be guardrails.”

Representative Josh Turek, of Council Bluffs, says there’s a need for more regulation on emotional support animals, because service animals are a lifeline for many individuals with a disability.  “A service animal requires the individual to have a physical disability. It also is limited exclusively to a dog and, in incredibly rare cases, to a small horse,” Turek said. “This animal also has to be trained and, probably most important and significantly, it is required to perform a task that the individual with a disability, the disability prevents them from doing.”

The bill would let landlords ask for documentation from a health care provider if a tenant’s need for an assistance animal is not readily apparent. The bill won unanimous approval in the House and Senate and it’s now headed to the governor for review.

April 4, 2024 (DES MOINES) – At today’s meeting, the Enhance Iowa Board awarded $3,025,047 in Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grants to projects in 10 communities and a $350,000 Sports Tourism Grant to Newton Community Events, Inc, to promote the NASCAR race weekend at the Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Details for the projects receiving CAT grants follow:

The City of Fort Dodge and Webster County Conservation Board were awarded $400,000 toward the construction of $4,497,465 in park improvements including construction of a multi-purpose pavilion with seating for 200 people, a skate park, a shelter, green space, restrooms, swings, trails and native planting.

The City of Atlantic was awarded $102,047 toward the construction of an approximately 4,500 square foot water-based aquatic venue with a variety of features including fountains, spray pad, dump buckets and water cannons. Total project cost is $690,000.

The City of Clear Lake and North Iowa Cultural Center and Museum were awarded $400,000 toward the construction of the Surf District Music Enrichment and Immersive Center with a lobby, ticket office, gift shop, rooftop observation deck/performance space and 1,800 square feet dedicated to showcasing Clear Lake’s place in music history.

The Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Association in Mt. Pleasant was awarded $210,000 toward the development of 100 additional camping sites, restoration of an existing heritage electric railway passenger car and purchase of an additional heritage electric railway passenger car. Total project cost is $1,420,111.

The Des Moines Community Playhouse in Des Moines was awarded $400,000 toward modernizing and expanding the Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre including a building expansion, storage and workshop space, meeting room, new costume shop and a configurable seating system to replace the existing fixed theatre seating. Total project cost is $2,736,481.

The City of Kalona was awarded $400,000 toward the $2,570,864 construction of a splashpad, natural playscape, large and small dog parks, parking and restroom facilities with an attached dog wash station.

Clayton County Conservation was awarded $220,000 toward the construction of a mile of paved trail to create the first segment of a two-mile looped trail connection between the existing termini of the Pony Hollow Trail. The trail extension will separate users from vehicle traffic on Highway 13. Total project cost is $1,098,140.

The City of Carroll was awarded $203,000 toward $1,019,000 in renovations to Merchants Park including press box improvements and expansion, bleacher improvements with ADA access and seating, baseline and backstop protective netting, dugout expansion, field lighting and fencing.

The City of Rock Valley was awarded $350,000 toward park improvements including accessible playground equipment with new fall-safe surfacing, interior trails and perimeter sidewalks to increase walkability, a new community event stage, open-air park shelters, a four-season shelter house and security lighting. Total project cost is $2,160,142.

The City of Mt. Ayr was awarded $340,000 toward the $3,243,700 replacement of the existing pool with a 4,000-square-foot outdoor pool with lap lanes, two diving boards, current pool, spray features, a family slide, a traditional slide, zero depth entry, sunshades and lighting.

Details for the project receiving a Sports Tourism grant follows:

Newton Community Events, Inc. was awarded $350,000 toward marketing the NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series races on June 14-16. The funds will go toward a multi-media campaign in Iowa and Omaha, a street team, promotional events and small business activations.

The Enhance Iowa Program provides financial incentives to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. To date, 149 CAT grants have been awarded by the board, totaling $50,230,070.