By Rep. Sharon Steckman D- House District 59 I was recently honored to help kick off Black History Month which occurs each year for the entire month of February. Representatives are asked to prepare and present a short speech honoring a black person, usually someone who has a connection to Iowa. I was pleased to honor George Washington Carver on February 1st. This date was also recently designated as “George Washington Carver Day” in Iowa, so it was a great way to begin the month! The son of a slave, Carver graduated high school in Kansas and was accepted to … Continue reading From the Capitol to You

To the Editor, As a lawmaker from Cerro Gordo county, I often read newspapers from different parts of North Iowa just to see what’s happening and see what folks are talking about. The one message I’ve heard consistently from Iowans this session is that they’re sick and tired of politics. I don’t blame them one bit and, to be honest, I feel the same.    I was disappointed to read Rep. Henry Stone’s column (published elsewhere) from March 30th that was based on misinformation and included several unfair characterizations of debate in Des Moines regarding education and public schools.   … Continue reading LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Drop the politics and renew our commitment to strong public schools

By State Representative Todd Prichard Our first month of the 2020 legislative session has concluded and it’s been a whirlwind of activity at the State Capitol.  This week, the House and Senate each passed its own version of education funding for the upcoming school year.  What the final amount of state funding for students and classrooms will be is still an open question.  Fortunately, state revenues are strong right now in this environment of low unemployment.  After a decade of low funding for schools, I view this as an opportunity to make overdue investments in Iowa’s education system, particularly in … Continue reading Prichard column: Investing in Education

This column was originally posted on Chris Baldus: Journalist Dad in 2012 A speaker on parenting made this interesting point at church today. If parents knew, really knew what they were getting into, no one would be a parent. Humanity would have met its end quickly. It can be a tough gig, no question. There’s just nothing like dragging a 5- year-old out of church as she sob-scream-chants, “I want a doughnut. I want a doughnut.” Full disclosure: This was over denial of a second doughnut from the church’s stash and it lasted for the full 10-minute drive home during … Continue reading Column: How did humanity survive parenthood?

By Rep. Todd Prichard I’ve been catching up on my local newspaper reading lately.  Two stories caught my eye. I read a piece about a Charles City woman who can’t receive the services she needs to maintain herself in her home due to cuts forced by her Managed Care Provider. The other article focused on how the Charles City Community School District is now dealing with a $500,000 budget cut next year. Both of these stories are interrelated, they share a common theme. And that is that the state budget and the lack of state support for basic health care services and education directly … Continue reading State budget puts corporate welfare above schools, health

By Rep. Todd Prichard Greetings from the 2018 legislative session. This week marks the first important deadline of the session, known as the first funnel. If a bill does not pass out of a standing committee, it is dead for the year. I am happy to report that I was able to pass two of my own bills before the deadline. One is a bill to prevent food shaming in schools (HSB660) and the other addresses the collection of back child support (HF2040). While I am proud of the fact that I was able to shepherd these bill through the … Continue reading Capitol Comments: Food shaming, child support bills advance

By Rep. Todd Prichard Welcome to the New Year and the 2018 Iowa Legislative session. I am back to work at the Capitol and wondering how this session is going to play out. Like every year, there are a variety of opportunities and challenges facing the legislature. Challenges: The state of Iowa is facing a major budget shortfall for the second year in a row, and our health care, education and mental health systems are woefully underfunded. Opportunities: We are close to a compromise with water quality, if lawmakers are willing to put principle before partisanship. Further opportunities include implementing … Continue reading Capitol Comments: Health care system’s failings are devastating