Page 18 - Ras Smith News Today

When I was a new dad and a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa, I was at a breaking point. After losing my brother it was a struggle to support a young family at home, be there for my parents and at times choose between gas in my truck and diapers for my daughter. With a few professors that kept checking in on me, and the support of my family and community, I made it through. I ran for office to give back to all those in my community who had given me so much.

For her work on The 1619 Project, Iowa native Nikole Hannah-Jones, who initiated it, received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Kim Reynolds says she hopes her criminal justice bill will bring people together but critics abound Stephen Gruber-Miller and Ian Richardson, Des Moines Register Gov. Reynolds will introduce a bill to protect law enforcement and ban racial profiling Replay Video UP NEXT The Republican governors follow-up proposal, released on Tuesday, is not receiving that universal acclaim. Republicans are enthusiastic about parts of the bill, including increased penalties for assaulting polic...

DES MOINES - Gov. Kim Reynolds proposal to create scholarships for private school tuition would cost the states 300-plus public school districts $2.1 million, a fraction of the more than $3 billion the state devotes each year to K-12 public education, according to a nonpartisan state analysis.

DES MOINES — If approved, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to create taxpayer-funded scholarships toward private school tuition for public school students in struggling K-12 schools would cost the state’s 300-plus public school districts a total of $2.1 million, a tiny fraction of the more than $3 billion the state devotes annually to K-12 public education, according to a nonpartisan state analysis. Critics of the proposal and public school advocates have warned the governorâ€...

By Jason Taylor Jan 27, 2021 WATERLOO, Iowa - Two Waterloo Democratic State Representatives are putting together a proposal to beef up worker protections at plants. The plan from Representatives Ras Smith and Tina Brown-Powers is specifically aimed at the Waterloo Tyson plant, where six workers have died from COVID-19. The proposal calls for Iowa OSHA to install mandatory standards at workplaces, including paid sick leave, premium pay and physical safety. Several lawsuits against Tyson claim m...

Des Moines Register Over the strenuous objections of Democrats and teachers groups, Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate are moving quickly to approve a pair of proposals they argue will give parents more choice in their childrens education. The proposals, one that would require school districts to offer a fully in-person learning option during the pandemic and another that would give students state money to spend on private education, sped through the subcommittee and committee pr...

Workers leave the Tysons Fresh Meat plant on Nov. 19 in Waterloo. Brandon Pollock, Lee Newspapers WATERLOO — Iowa leaders are drafting legislation to enhance worker protections at the Tyson plant in Waterloo and elsewhere, they announced Monday at a virtual forum. The legislation would give protection to whistleblowers, establish more collective bargaining rights, implement premium pay, sick leave and medical leave and shield workers from company cuts, said state Rep. Ras Sm...

Republicans advance required in-person learning option, private school scholarship bills in Iowa Legislature Stephen Gruber-Miller and Ian Richardson, Des Moines Register In condition of the state, Reynolds calls for open enrollment in every school district Replay Video UP NEXT Over the strenuous objections of Democrats and teachers groups, Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate are moving quickly to approve a pair of proposals they argue will give parents more choice in...

The 65-page bill released Wednesday would bring many of her "school choice" priorities to pass.