Busy Week in Legislature and Iowa City

Busy Week in Legislature and Iowa City

Cleaning up the inbox and I've got countless emails on these three bills:

HF 92 (SF 224) the equal rights bill, (passed Senate but facing problems in the House. Non-discrimination is a core Democratic issue and while the votes of Johnson County legislators are solid, they may be more likely to persuade their colleagues with some backup from back home. We've been told for years the barrier to non-discrimination is no trifecta; it's trifecta time.

HF 805 (SF 553), the Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections law (VOICE). In Appropriations sub-committee; Coralville's Dave Jacoby is chair. Several folks have passed along his comments: Most concise is "I like the bill, but we are struggling to find the money."

HF 873 (Kuhn-Frevert) would require large-scale confinements to follow environmentally friendly guidelines and be placed farther away from neighboring residences, schools, churches, lakes and tourist destinations. Stuck in an unfriendly Ag subcommittee. I campaigned on the hog lot issue ten long years ago and we're still dealing with the shi.. uh, mess.

Call/email as needed.

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The JCDems have a big week: the blizzard-postponed (was it really snowing just three weeks ago?) chair election on Thursday and the off-year caucus and lunch Saturday. I'm making my muy caliente Tancredo-proof chili so bring an asbestos esophagus. Confirmed speakers:

Chris Dodd

Ed Fallon for Edwards,

Dick Durbin for Obama,

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden for his dad

and our very own Dave Loebsack

Also the Edwardians are meeting Wednesday night at Tom Carsner's house.