(Radio Iowa) – The 2020 Iowa legislative session is scheduled to begin today (Monday), with Republicans who control the debate agenda predicting significant action on education and taxation. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says there’s no consensus yet, though. “The tax conversation and tax changes don’t happen in a bill filed day one in the legislature, usually,” Whitver says. “What I know is as long as I’m majority leader and as long as we’re in the majority, we want to improve the tax climate in the state of Iowa.” House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, says legislators will get the next detailed report on state tax revenue in March. “We’re seeing higher than expected revenue growth,” Grassley says. “If we have those opportunities to return dollars back to the hard-working Iowans, we want to do that.”

House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City says tax cuts should be targeted to make things like housing and child care more affordable. “If we’re going to talk tax cuts, let’s talk tax cuts for working Iowans,” Prichard says, “not just for those at the top.” Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says the legislature’s primary focus should be on the pandemic. “This is the event that has turned all of our lives upside down,” Wahls says, “…so looking at things that’ll help our front-line health care workers, other essential workers, small businesses, community agencies like food banks. We know that food insecurity has tripled since the start of the pandemic.”

Last Thursday, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds hit pause again on her “Invest in Iowa” proposal to both lower income taxes and raise sales taxes, due to the pandemic. Republican legislators say their education plans will revolve around ensuring parental choice. Speaker Grassley says it was an issue in the November election, as some parents grew frustrated that their children were not back in the classroom full time. “I think Iowans spoke loud and clear that that’s their expectation,” Grassley says, “and in fact I think it affected a lot of races.”

Both Grassley and Senator Whitver say everything is on the table when it comes to education policy, including giving parents state money to cover the costs of private school tuition. “When you talk about parental choice, there’s a lot of different things that go into that…Can you transfer out of Des Moines Public Schools or not? Are your kids in five days a week or are they all virtual? It’s public-private,” Whitver says. “…Education is going to probably be the biggest conversation of this entire session.”

Democrats say spending state tax dollars at private schools diverts scarce resources at a time when Iowa’s public schools need more assistance.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:38 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature will convene today (Monday), with Republicans holding large majorities and promising an agenda that could include tax cuts and changes to voting, gun and school attendance laws. Republicans expanded their majority in the House in November and maintained their edge in the Senate. They see the election as an affirmation that voters support the conservative actions they have taken since winning full control of the Legislature in 2016. The GOP to-do list is expected to include efforts to reduce taxes, making changes to voting rules, expand gun rights and require in-school attendance despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The 150 lawmakers will gather in the Statehouse with no mask requirements and rules that do not require disclosure of a positive COVID-19 test.

UNDATED (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man from Iowa who allegedly took part in the riot in and around the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says officers assisted the FBI in arresting 41-year-old Doug Jensen on Friday night at his home on the south side of Des Moines. He was booked into jail early Saturday on five federal charges. It isn’t clear if he has an attorney yet. Video posted online during the Wednesday rioting showed a man who appears to be Jensen, who is white, pursuing a Black officer up a flight of stairs as a mob trails behind.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters. The Associated Press reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records for more than 120 people connected to the rioting. They include Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists and adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory. The evidence gives lie to claims that the violence at the Capitol was perpetrated by left-wing antifa thugs rather than supporters of the president. An FBI official says investigators have seen “no indication” antifa activists were disguised as Trump supporters during the Capitol riot.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with a shooting last April. Littleton Clark, 41, was sentenced Friday in the April 12 shooting that took place outside a Des Moines apartment complex. Police said Clark fired into a group of people and wounded another man twice in the torso. The victim survived but needed surgery after the shooting. Court records show that 41-year-old Littleton Clark pleaded guilty last month to assault and two weapons charges as part of a deal with prosecutors. In return, an attempted murder charge and two other charges were dropped.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with a shooting last April. Littleton Clark, 41, was sentenced Friday in the April 12 shooting that took place outside a Des Moines apartment complex. Police said Clark fired into a group of people and wounded another man twice in the torso. The victim survived but needed surgery after the shooting.

Court records show that 41-year-old Littleton Clark pleaded guilty last month to assault and two weapons charges as part of a deal with prosecutors. In return, an attempted murder charge and two other charges were dropped.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature will convene Monday with Republicans holding large majorities and promising an agenda that could include tax cuts and changes to voting, gun and school attendance laws. Republicans expanded their majority in the House in November and maintained their edge in the Senate. They see the election as an affirmation that voters support the conservative actions they have taken since winning full control of the Legislature in 2016.

The GOP to-do list is expected to include efforts to reduce taxes, making changes to voting rules, expand gun rights and require in-school attendance despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The 150 lawmakers will gather in the Statehouse with no mask requirements and rules that do not require disclosure of a positive COVID-19 test.

The CAM School District Board of Education will meet 6:30-p.m. Monday (Jan. 11) in the CAM High School Superintendent’s Office. Among the matters on their agenda is:

• Discussion/action on: Open Enrollment; Resignations; andContracts.
• Administrative reports.
• Approval of the 2022 trip to Washington, D.C.
• Approval of Mid-term Graduates.