This week in Iowa organizing…

Written By Katie Bryan

I hope you're able to get outside and enjoy some of the unseasonably warm weather we're experiencing. 

Let's just get to it - please read on for ways to take action, what we're reading, and more,

 

Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director

At the Statehouse

Two weeks remain until the first funnel deadline of the legislative session. Feb. 20 is when bills need to pass out of a committee to stay alive for consideration outside of spending bills. On Feb. 19, we'll be joining with our allies at Food & Water Watch and Progress Iowa to push for good bills to move past the funnel and bad bills to stay dead (more on that below).

Snapshot of some key bills we're tracking:

The good:

  • SF 2008: would make private schools utilizing vouchers to have the same transparency and reporting requirements as public schools. Introduced by Sen. McClintock (R - Alburnett). Assigned subcommittee, but still no meeting scheduled.

  • HF 2265: would place a cap on families who could utilize private school vouchers at 400% of the federal poverty level. Introduced to House Education committee, no subcommittee assigned.

The good turned bad:

The bad:

  • SF 2201: would fund public schools with a 1.75% increase - far below the 5% students need and even lower than the governor's 2% proposal. Passed Senate Education committee, eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

  • HF 2296: would take local control away from municipalities by prohibiting them from issuing Community IDs to their residents. Passed Public Safety committee, eligible for debate on the House floor.

  • HSB 657: would prevent the DNR from adding a waterway to an impaired water list until they can ID what kind of animal contributed to fecal bacteria levels. Would undermine water quality by delaying action with an already understaffed DNR. Subcommittee meeting Feb. 10 at noon.

  • HSB 688: would remove several affirmative action and equal opportunity measures currently required under Iowa state law. Eligible for consideration by House Judiciary committee.

A reminder that you can find your lawmakers and their contact info here. 

Take action

Feb. 10-13: Iowa CCI's week of love and thank-a-thon

There is still time to join us for thank you calls during our “Week of Love”! RSVP to make calls with us!

Our amazing community comes together every year to call our membership list to connect and spread gratitude for all their hard work and support. Big thanks to the 40+ callers who signed up to help spread some love and gratitude!  

These calls are super easy and fun to make. If calls aren't your thing, there are other ways to help - click here for more info! 

If you have any questions, email kim@iowacci.org or give us a call at 515-255-0800.

Feb. 12: Clean Water meeting w/ Prof. Rosburg

CCI is hosting a clean water meeting with Drake professor Tom Rosburg this Thursday, Feb. 12 from 6-7:30PM at the Toledo Public Library. Tom is an Ecology and Botany Professor and long time prairie warrior fighting for Iowa's most vulnerable ecosystems.

Join us to hear more about the state of Iowa's water, how it effects our local ecosystems and our health, and the positive impacts of prairie systems on our water. Learn about native ecosystems, leave with native prairie seeds! RSVP to join us here.

Feb. 19: Our water, our health rally & lobby day

During the 2026 legislative session it’s our job to keep the Cancer Gag Act dead and to push for common sense policies – like restoring funding for water quality monitoring and increasing funding to map our aquifers.

On February 19 from 1 - 4pm we'll be joining with our allies at Food & Water Watch and Progress Iowa for a lobby day to tell our legislators it's time to take meaningful action to protect our water and crack down on big ag polluters. RSVP to join us here.

Feb. 23: Public School Strong orientation

9 school boards have passed our resolution calling on the Governor and state legislature to fully fund public schools at a 5% increase in state supplemental aid (SSA) and a phase out of the private school vouchers. Will your district be next? 

Full funding for public schools starts at the school board level and we invite you to join other Iowans to our next Public School Strong orientation on Feb. 23 at 7 pm on zoom (register here).

At this meeting folks will learn more about what’s behind the attacks on public education, the purpose and goals of Public School Strong, and receive a free PSS t-shirt!

Feb. 24: How taxpayers are propping up the factory farm industry & corporate ag

RSVP here to join us for the Farm & Environment Monthly organizing call on Feb. 24 from 6 - 7:30 PM.  At this meeting we will:

  • Dig in on how our public dollars are being used to prop up the factory farm and industrial ag model.

  • Get updates on what's happened at the statehouse related to the Cancer Gag Act, the CO2 pipeline, water quality, and more.

  • Find ways to take action to protect our water and health.

Mark your calendar for Feb. 24 at 6 PM and RSVP here to get the information to join the call.

ICE Watch and community defense trainings

One of our staff took this 90-minute ICE Watch and Community Defense Zoom training and wanted to share upcoming opportunities. ICE Watch and other rapid response tactics are key strategies being used by people across the country to protect their communities against aggressive activity from federal law enforcement agencies like ICE and Border Patrol. More information and sign up here.

(applications close today) We're Hiring!

Iowa CCI is looking to hire a Community Organizer who has a strong desire to meet people where they are at, move them to action, help CCI build our people power, and win on issues.

Learn more and how to apply at iowacci.org/jobs

What We're Reading

These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!

Katie Bryan
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This week in Iowa organizing…