From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — About 400 workers at Planned Parenthood offices in five Midwestern states plan to unionize. The move comes as their employer deals with the potential loss of business in states where abortions may become illegal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Ashley Schmidt is a training and development specialist for Nebraska and western Iowa. She says workers at Planned Parenthood North Central States in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota formally filed for a union election with a National Labor Relations Board on Thursday. The workers plan to join SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, which represents Planned Parenthood workers in other states.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Rising material prices and legal expenses are expected to add nearly $50 million more to the cost of a power transmission line being built across southern Wisconsin. American Transmission Co., ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative are building the 345-kilovolt Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line that would run more than 100 miles from Dane County to Dubuque County in Iowa. The utilities have notified the Wisconsin Public Service Commission that the overall cost of the project is now expected to top more than half a billion dollars. In the filing, the utilities cited considerable increases in the cost of steel, conductors, insulators and other materials.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers ended their legislative session, about five weeks behind schedule because of a dispute over education spending. The Senate and House adjourned early Wednesday without reaching agreement on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to divert $55 million from public schools toward taxpayer-funded scholarships for up to 10,000 students to attend private schools. Since convening in January, Republicans who hold large majorities in each chamber did work with the governor to pass significant legislation. That includes big tax cuts, a plan to allow grocers to opt out of bottle recycling, cut to unemployment benefits and a bill that prohibits transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Supreme Court decision is holding back the state’s solidly Republican Legislature and governor from banning abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Iowa is among GOP-controlled states that would be expected to ban abortion, except for state high court decisions recognizing the right under the state constitutions. The issue is most immediate in Iowa, where a court now dominated by Republican appointees is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to uphold the ruling, decided just four years ago. The Iowa case highlights the inevitable confrontation between new abortion bans being prepared in anticipation of Roe’s reversal and state constitutions.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Deer hunters will be able to use semi-automatic rifles during a newly created antlerless season in January under a bill approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor. The measure given final approval Tuesday by the House is designed to help control the deer population and respond to complaints that excess deer eat corn and are hazardous to motorists. Charles City Democratic Rep. Todd Prichard, a a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, opposed the bill. He noted the AR-15 type rifles allowed for hunting were similar to those he was trained to use in the military and that ammunition authorized in the bill can travel up to 2½ miles.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley says Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to divert about $55 million from public schools to private school scholarships will not pass in the Iowa House because of a lack of Republican support. The plan called for taxpayer-funded scholarships for up to 10,000 students to attend the private school of their choice. It passed the Senate in March but too many Republicans in the House oppose the idea. Reynolds has said she won’t give up and will work to pass the measure next year. Lawmakers are expected to end the legislative session this week, about five weeks behind the scheduled adjournment.
