DES MOINES — U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today announced his bipartisan legislation to expand parental leave eligibility for parents serving in the drilling Reserve or National Guard was signed into law.  The Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act, co-led with Representative Jeff Jackson (NC-14), was included in the National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by President Joe Biden.

“As a father and current Air Force Reserve member, I’ve experienced firsthand the sacrifices parents make to serve our country. I’m proud that our bipartisan bill has been included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to make life easier for military families,” Rep. Nunn said. “This law will ensure Reserve and National Guard parents have the same access to leave as their active duty counterparts. Any servicemember who serves our country deserves time with their new children.”

The Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act addresses a disparity under current policies implemented in 2021 that expanded parental leave for fathers and adoptive parents in active duty but did not include drilling members of the Reserve and National Guard. Currently, leave policies for those servicemembers are offered to new mothers but not fathers or adoptive parents.  This bill equalizes leave policies for all service members.

The bill, which was originally introduced on April 13, 2023 at the American Legion in Bondurant, Iowa, passed the House of Representatives on December 14, 2023 and Senate on December 13, 2023 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.  The President signed the bill into law on Friday, December 22, 2023.

LOHRVILLE, Iowa — Charges have been dismissed against an Iowa father whose son got ahold of one of his guns and accidentally caused his own death. The accidental shooting happened in Lohrville back on June 16. The boy was 6 years old.

KCCI says Court documents had argued that Justin Pope left several loaded handguns out where children in the home could get them. Pope pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A Calhoun County judge accepted the state’s request to dismiss charges. The state says there was not enough evidence to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

(Des Moines, Iowa/KCCI] – The mother of a Des Moines teen who was shot and killed by police officers in December 2022 is suing the city and police department. Trevontay Jenkins, who was 16 at the time, was shot and killed by police on Dec. 26, 2022. Officers had been called to an apartment on East McKinley Avenue in Des Moines early Dec. 26 and found Jenkins armed along with other family members, according to previous reporting.

During de-escalation efforts, police say Jenkins raised his gun in the direction of officers, prompting three of the four responding officers to fire their weapons. Jenkins later died at a Des Moines hospital.

Monica Woods, Jenkins’ mother, filed a civil rights lawsuit Friday against the city and the individual police officers involved. The lawsuit claims Jenkins was not pointing the gun in the direction of any officers when they fired shots at him, and that Des Moines did not adequately train its officers in de-escalation techniques.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office previously announced the shooting was justified and the four officers involved would not be criminally charged.

RADCLIFFE, Iowa [KCCI]— The Radcliffe, Iowa, American Legion has something inside the building that may turn out to be a tourist attraction. Ray “Bubba” Sorensen, well known for his painting patriotic Freedom Rocks, was commissioned to paint a mural inside the building. The mural features a legion member saluting a folded flag, jets flying in fallen man formation, the USS Iowa Battleship, an American flag and soldiers coming out of a cornfield.

While some people have seen the mural, it will not be officially revealed until Sunday, Jan. 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Legion’s monthly winter breakfast fundraiser.

(Villisca, Iowa) – Two separate calls to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office about a person trying to break into homes in Villisca Friday night, resulted in the arrest of 40-year-old Gary Allen Honeyman, of Villisca. He was charged with Felony Attempted Burglary in the 2nd Degree, Public Intoxication, and Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree.

Authorities say Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the 100 block of N. 4th Avenue in Villisca, at around 10:30-p.m. for a report of a man possibly trying to break into a residence in the area. Deputies were unable to locate anyone after a search of the area. About 45-minutes later, the Sheriff’s Office received a similar call from a resident in the 100 block of 5th Avenue, in Villisca, with the suspect fitting the same description as in the first incident.

Deputies located the suspect – Gary Honeyman – hiding under a porch. He was taken into custody on the aforementioned charges, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Honeyman’s bond was set at $5,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Iowa Department of Education today (Friday) announced they will continue to support Iowa children eligible for food assistance year-round by enhancing and expanding already existing childhood nutrition programs and have notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that Iowa will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children, or Summer EBT, program.

The Summer EBT program was started during the COVID-19 pandemic by the federal government in response to rising food insecurity at the time. It was permanently authorized by the Biden Administration and Congress earlier this year through the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The program provides families with children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals $40 per child per month during the summer to purchase food. The funds are provided on an EBT card in the child’s name and the federal government has announced its intention that the card must be administered separately from other existing meal or food assistance programs. With few restrictions on food purchases, the Summer EBT program does not have a strong nutrition focus. Participating states are required to cover half of the administrative costs, which would cost an estimated $2.2 million in Iowa.

“Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families. An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic” stated Governor Reynolds. “HHS and the Department of Education have well-established programs in place that leverage partnerships with community-based providers and schools who understand the needs of the families they serve. If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs.”

“No child should go hungry, least of all in Iowa, but the Summer EBT Program fails to address the barriers that exist to healthy and nutritional foods. Iowa’s kids need consistent access to nutritionally dense food, and their families need to feel supported to make healthy choices around food and nutrition. Another benefit card addressed to children is not the way to take on this issue,” said HHS Director Kelly Garcia.

“The Iowa Department of Education remains committed to supporting students with healthy meals and food options. We are already leveraging family-focused, community-based solutions to support child nutrition and well-being in the summer, and we look forward to expanding these existing partnerships,” said McKenzie Snow, Iowa Department of Education Director.

Last summer, more than 1.6 million meals and snacks were served to children 18 and younger throughout Iowa as part of the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option program.

Funded through the USDA and administered by the Iowa Department of Education, each of the 500-plus meal sites in low-income areas across Iowa are run by local sponsors to ensure children can get nutritious meals during the summer at no cost in a safe and supervised environment. Sites are located in a variety of settings, including schools, parks, community centers, libraries, apartment complexes, churches, and migrant centers. Many sites also offer enrichment opportunities for children such as reading, physical activity, or nutrition education.

Additionally, Iowa HHS administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) year-round, providing benefits to supplement food budgets of needy families. Of the 132,000 Iowa households currently enrolled in SNAP, 41.5% have children in the home. Despite this, HHS data shows a decline in SNAP enrollment since 2020, down from over 150,000 households to 132,000 for 2024.

Six regional food banks and 1,200 non-profit organizations, including food pantries and meal sites, also provide food assistance and childhood nutrition programs across all 99 counties in Iowa.

At the same time, childhood obesity and other diet related health problems are increasing. Almost sixteen percent of children in Iowa ages 10 to 17 are obese and Iowa is in the top ten states for high school age obesity.

HHS and the Department of Education will continue existing programming currently being offered by state agencies and are exploring new opportunities to address family well-being and children’s health in Iowa.