This week in Iowa organizing…
Congrats to all the Iowa teams in the men's and women's NCAA tournaments - and for the Iowa men putting the "madness" into March last night.
There was another win last week deserving of celebration, and it happened in Story County. Members and residents there learned in February of the possibility of data centers being allowed to build in the county.
Over the next month, folks got organized and met regularly, contacted decision makers and neighbors in town, showed up to every Supervisor meeting, and more. And on March 17, Story County Supervisors voted unanimously to enact a moratorium on any data centers through March of 2027.
Cheers to the folks who put so much work into this effort - it paid off! People power won over big-money corporations that aim to abuse our natural resources for private gain.
Let's keep at it and keep fighting for the people and places we love, read on for more,
Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director
At the Statehouse
Last Friday marked the passage of the second legislative funnel. Several good bills failed to make the cut, but thankfully so did a good number of bad bills. You can read a good recap of the second funnel in this Iowa Capital Dispatch article.
Here's the status of other key bills/priorities -
Policies to protect the land and water:
The Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS) is a network of 60 water quality monitors in Iowa that provides real-time, continuous data about the level of nitrates in our water. In 2023, the legislature cut funding to this program. Since then, IWQIS has operated underbudget and if funding is not restored we risk losing the network all together.
We know the first step to cleaning up our water is understanding the problem, that's why we must restore funding for the IWQIS this year through the Ag and Natural Resources appropriations process. Contact the members on the subcommittee here!
HF 2104: would have banned the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. But Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh pulled a bait-and-switch and amended the bill to mirror language of SF 2067. This amendment removes the ban on eminent domain and puts more Iowans at risk of harassment from Summit by extending the 'voluntary easement corridor.'
Email your Senator here and demand they vote for the original HF 2104, and reject Sen. Klimesh's gift to Bruce Rastetter.
Eligible for debate by full Senate, to the Governor if passed:
HF 2527 / SF 2427: would limit the ability to sue Big Ag for greenhouse gas emissions.
HF 2711: would remove several affirmative action and equal opportunity measures currently required under Iowa state law.
HF 2296: would take local control away from municipalities by prohibiting them from issuing Community IDs to their residents.
Funnel proof:
HF 2709: would allow farmers the "right to repair." Read more on this from Iowa Farmers Union president Aaron Lehman here. Referred to House Ways and Means
HF 2687: would provide funding to retrofit up to 100 existing private wells with groundwater monitoring equipment, more than doubling the approximately 60 wells currently monitoring our groundwater. Referred to House Appropriations
A reminder you can find your legislators and their contact information here. And consider joining us for our next (possibly final) lobby day of the year on April 1 - RSVP here. This is when lawmakers will be digging in on state budgets and other spending bills - let's remind them that public money should be used for the public good!
Take action
March 26: CCI water testing zoom this week
Time to think about testing water for nitrates with Iowa CCI. It's our THIRD year of this program. The spring rains are coming so it’s GO time for the new season!
If you are interested and don't have a test kit, click here to order one. If you have a test kit, check the expiration date on the bottle and order a new one if needed. Almost 100 kits have been requested so far this month!
Our first monthly Zoom meeting is this Thursday, March 26 at 5pm. Mark your calendar and click here to register.
Details about the program are available here. Thanks for caring about Iowa's water quality!
March 31: Public School Strong Resolution strategy session
In the last 10 years, the Governor and state legislature have underfunded our schools by passing a paltry state supplemental aid rate (SSA) of just 2% on average, not enough to keep up with inflation. They are asking our schools to do more and more with less and less and we are at a breaking point.
Imagine if we had 100 districts pass our Public School Strong (PSS) resolution to help set the stage for the November elections and 2027 legislative session? Join us over Zoom on Tues, March 31 to learn about the campaign and how to bring our PSS resolution to your district.
Upcoming rallies, mobilizations, trainings
No Kings will hold another round of mobilizations on March 28 in response to the Trump administration's ongoing attacks on Americans, our democratic institutions, and more. Find the event closest to you here.
Virtual ICE and community defense trainings:
Ongoing: States at the Core (SATC): ICE Watch & Community Defense trainings
Iowa needs poll workers
The primary election is June 2 - that's only 83 days from now! And the November midterms are not far behind ...
Are you looking for a meaningful way to participate in our democracy? Can you spare two days to perform a critical civic duty and be an Election Hero? Consider being a poll worker - learn more and sign up here.
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
Trump's Medicaid cuts threaten home-based services for disabled people [Bleeding Heartland]
Jerome Powell says you're right to blame data centers for making your bills more expensive: 'probably pushing inflation up' [Fortune]
You're exhausted. And that's the plan [The People's Paper]
3,800 workers strike at JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley [Colorado Public Radio]
Des Moines hides details of costly settlement with police chief candidate [Iowa Capital Dispatch]