Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The Iowa Capitol on Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Employee salaries in the Iowa governor’s and secretary of state’s offices increased by double-digit percentages over the past decade, a report released Thursday by Iowa Auditor Rob Sand shows.
The report shows that in inflation-adjusted figures, executive branch salaries declined over the past 10 years by 7.6%, but when looking at individual offices within the branch, the governor’s and secretary of state’s offices increased employee salaries over the period.
The University of Northern Iowa is bringing civic education and political archives to campus with two centers. (Photo courtesy of University of Northern Iowa)
The University of Northern Iowa is furthering its work into civic education and stewardship of historical government resources through two centers, one created from a directive by the Iowa Board of Regents and the other approved by it Thursday.
The board of regents approved the formation of a “center for public engagement, leadership development and archival stewardship” at UNI during its Thursday meeting, with the vote amended to clarify that once U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley retires, the center will be named for him and his wife, Barbara.
The Iowa Board of Regents has entered into a new phase of revenue enhancement and cost efficiency work at state universities as the institutions ask for increased state government support to help with rising expenses in essential areas.
Advocates speaking for and against a proposed state constitutional amendment held events Thursday calling for more attention on the ballot measure, which would set a higher bar for state lawmakers to raise the income tax in future sessions.
The U.S. Senate on Thursday took another step forward on a sweeping bipartisan bill to overhaul the college sports world.
The White House Thursday withdrew the nomination of Richard “Lance” Schroyer to lead the agency the president tasked with carrying out his mass deportation campaign, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce has sued UnitedHealth. It says the healthcare giant was to provide administrative services, but poached clients instead, Ohio Capital Journal reports.
In its latest effort to overhaul federal homelessness funding, the Trump administration is proposing to provide more money to localities that prioritize treatment-first policies such as sober living, more cooperation with law enforcement and more temporary and transitional housing, Stateline reports.
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