Podcasts by Under the Golden Dome
Policymaking can be complicated. Host John Pemble breaks it all down and makes it easier to understand. Under the Golden Dome provides context around the Iowa legislative session and the laws that come out of it. Learn about the elected officials, influencers, issues and bills working their way through the Iowa Statehouse.
Further podcasts by Iowa Public Radio
Podcast on the topic Nachrichten
All episodes
The final 48 hours before sine die 2023 from 2023-05-04T18:41:23
A bill removing work restrictions for teenagers is revised. Democrats still oppose it but say this newly amended version is much better than what was proposed earlier in the session. All the budget...
Listen
Loosening tattoo artist requirements, encouraging biogas pipelines, taxing glass pipes, and a much bigger version of the governor’s education bill from 2023-04-08T04:13
Among the policy bills advancing this year include one adding a 40% tax to glass or metal pipes supporters say are used to smoke dangerous drugs. There is also a bill making it easier for gas pipel...
Listen
Raw milk, crisis numbers on student IDs, and SNAP and Medicaid verification pass one chamber and advance in the other’s committees from 2023-04-01T04:12
A bill requiring public schools to print on Student ID cards contact information for the crisis service Your Life Iowa passes out of the House, and is also considered by a Senate committee. The sal...
Listen
A barrier to eminent domain and the governor’s restrictions on gender identity in schools from 2023-03-25T04:11
In the 11th week of this session a bill that requires more landowners to agree to carbon pipeline construction on their property advances. It would permit the Iowa Utilities Board to allow eminent ...
Listen
Most bills pass with ease but others are more tense, like the bathroom bill from 2023-03-18T04:10
The majority of the legislation during every session is bipartisan and non-controversial. Bills about seizure training, robotic extracurricular activities in the schools and non-prescription birth ...
Listen
Prohibiting medical gender transition for minors passes the House and Senate from 2023-03-11T04:09
A bill prevents Iowa medical-assisted gender transition for minors including the use of hormones or drugs even with parental consent. Senate Republicans say it’s a matter of public health and child...
Listen
New conditions for education concerning gender, sexuality, and books from 2023-03-04T04:08
A bill advances stating a student must use the public school bathroom that conforms to their gender assigned at birth. Subcommittees also listen to testimony about a proposal prohibiting a healthca...
Listen
Another push for capital punishment and denying medical services for religious or moral beliefs from 2023-02-25T04:07
This bill expands on current code protecting healthcare workers from being forced to participate in medical procedures involving an abortion and creates a broader protection based on religious beli...
Listen
The long journey of budget appropriations subcommittees. from 2023-02-18T04:06
This is the time of year when many department heads present their budget requests and answer questions from legislators. Property taxes were unintentionally calculated too high, but during an appro...
Listen
Public school funding and capping lawsuits from 2023-02-11T04:05
Funding for K-12 public schools will be $107 million more than last year, the same amount private schools are estimated to get for new state funded scholarships. Democrats say public school funding...
Listen
Identifying gender identity restrictions in schools and unintended property tax increases from 2023-02-04T04:04
Bills limiting discussion of gender and personal pronouns in schools that differ from a student’s biological gender listed on their birth certificate are advancing. A House proposal requires parent...
Listen
Expanding private school funding from 2023-01-28T04:03
A proposal allocating more public money to private schools has its day in both chambers. Gov. Kim Reynolds is placing a high priority on a bill that provides more state funding for students to atte...
Listen
Looking back at 20th century trailblazing legislator Minnette Doderer from 2023-01-21T04:02
Minnette Doderer began her three and a half decades of public service as a legislator in the mid 1960s. She also ran twice for lieutenant governor. In the 1970s and 1980s, she spoke with reporters ...
Listen
The first priorities of the 90th Iowa General Assembly from 2023-01-14T04:01
A new Iowa General Assembly begins with more new members of the majority party in both chambers. In the Senate, there is now a Republican supermajority and a new Senate president, Sen. Amy Sinclair...
Listen
Return and adjourn from 2022-05-25T14:07:53
The 2022 Iowa legislative session ends after many weeks of little to no activity in the House or Senate. During a busy two days, final budget bills are approved. Most come revised from the Senate i...
Listen
Retiring and waiting for Senate budgets from 2022-04-09T04:20
Around this time, legislators who have announced they aren’t seeking re-election in the Iowa legislature are granted a “retirement” speech from the chamber floor. Between the House and Senate, arou...
Listen
Disagreement between the House and Senate from 2022-04-02T04:20
Proposals about public schools pass in the Senate and House requiring online publishing of curriculums. Private schools are exempt from doing the same. Unlike the House version, the Senate’s includ...
Listen
Posting curriculum online, surplus vs failure to appropriate, and contentious debate about unemployment benefits from 2022-03-26T04:20
A bill requiring teachers to post everything they use in a classroom online before a semester begins, advances. After a committee, it now has something that may let teachers update that information...
Listen
First Department of Corrections budget and striking bills from 2022-03-19T04:20
The Department of Corrections director lays out the condition of the prisons to a committee that determines its annual budget. The House reduces one budget item, makes it up with money from a previ...
Listen
Changing confirmation, time, and property tax notifications from 2022-03-12T04:22
A bill removing Senate confirmation for some of the governor’s appointees advances. Confirmation for those exempt appointees is still possible if 26 senators want it, but the 18 Democrats in the Se...
Listen
Private scholarships, drug changes, and a ban becomes law from 2022-03-05T04:19
Two of the governor’s priorities advance at the Capitol. First, a bill creating scholarships for private schools advances from a committee. It also requires teachers to publish online everything th...
Listen
Israel, child care, and athletes from 2022-02-26T04:20
There are state requirements for staff levels at child care facilities. A bill comes to the full Senate for debate that increases the ratio of staff for young children. In the House there are bills...
Listen
Deadlines, taxes, and buying land from 2022-02-19T04:53
The House passes a bill that will gradually lower income tax rates. It requires the state to consistently have a revenue growth of 3.5% for several years. Republicans say last year’s nearly billion...
Listen
Curriculum and state standards from 2022-02-12T03:52
There are two versions of a bill about equal treatment for religious and secular organizations. The Senate version contains language some say could invite discrimination and evasion of Iowa laws, b...
Listen
Moving to the chambers from 2022-02-05T11:10:11
There are still in excess of 100 bills a week being considered by subcommittees and some have also passed a full committee. That makes them eligible for a chamber to consider passage. The first bil...
Listen
Returning bills from 2022-01-29T03:49
Every year bills that didn’t pass in previous legislative sessions get another shot through the subcommittee process. In 2022 bills that would restrict or further regulate traffic enforcement camer...
Listen
Subcommittees lay session groundwork from 2022-01-22T03:58
It’s the first of several full weeks of subcommittees. Not all bills advance from their first subcommittee hearing. Last year a large bill passed in the Senate about eligibility requirements for ma...
Listen
Opening priorities: taxes, workforce and school libraries from 2022-01-15T04:00
The first week of the second half of the 89th Iowa General Assembly is mostly filled with legislators announcing their priorities for this planned 100-day session. With a billion dollar surplus fro...
Listen
Taxes, Masks,&Sine Die from 2021-05-20T15:55:10
Last day of the 2021 legislative session featured a surprise amendment to a bill prohibiting schools and cities from implementing mask mandates stricter than state policies and code.
Listen
Bottle Redemption, More Budgets And A Large Law Enforcement Bill from 2021-04-23T16:11:19
As the 2021 session comes to a close, changing Iowa’s bottle redemption system received a public hearing. Another large department budget passed out of an appropriations committee, and includes a c...
Listen
Counter Proposal from 2021-04-16T16:47:39
A week after House committees presented appropriations budgets, the Senate followed. There are a few differences between the two chambers and they must be resolved for the budget bills to pass. Two...
Listen
Booze, Broadband And Budgets from 2021-04-09T16:40:19
This week, the Iowa House of Representatives passed a bill allowing third-party services to deliver beer, wine, or liquor to a customer’s home. Grants to increase faster internet service received u...
Listen
Robot Delivery And Trespassing Penalties from 2021-04-02T16:57:06
Autonomous personal delivery devices may start operating in residential areas of Iowa communities. The House has passed a bill allowing for these robot deliveries and now a Senate committee has mod...
Listen
First Signs Of New Budget And Tax Changes from 2021-03-26T16:26:35
Legislators are beginning the sprint to the end of the legislative session. Budgets are starting to form in the Senate and House. So are more tax reduction proposals, including one that would chang...
Listen
Diversity Training Restrictions and Expanding Vaccination from 2021-03-19T11:16:19
With demand for a COVID-19 shot expected to be high this year, the House has passed a bill allowing dentists to administer these vaccines. The House also passed a bill placing restrictions on what ...
Listen
Penalties and Questions from 2021-03-12T16:11:35
A bill in the Iowa Senate passes that would add penalties for protesters who cause damage or interfere with police trying to break up a disorderly protest. Another passes prohibiting a city or coun...
Listen
Funnel Deadline from 2021-03-05T16:30:11
The legislative season is around the halfway mark, where there is a deadline for most bills to pass out of one full committee. Bills with a financial impact are not subject to this “funnel.” On thi...
Listen
Election Changes and School Boards from 2021-02-26T15:58:44
A controversial bill proposes changing Iowa’s election laws and increasing penalties. It receives a public hearing, then two days later it passes in the House and Senate. Also, a bill from a Senate...
Listen
Fuels and Elections from 2021-02-19T17:12:20
A bill about fuel would require gas stations to greatly expand renewable fuel pumps for gasoline and diesel. Opponents of the bill mostly say they aren’t against biofuels but implementing the quant...
Listen
Education Appropriations&Appropriateness from 2021-02-12T14:28
The Senate and House pass an increase of 2.4% funding of state supplemental aid for K-12 public schools. The House Education subcommittee advances a bill that would remove some funding from a schoo...
Listen
Asking for Funds from 2021-02-05T20:48:36
The three state universities are asking for $26 million more for the next fiscal year. A House subcommittee advances a bill that would not allow public or private colleges to implement a mask or so...
Listen
Vaccine Supply and Demand from 2021-01-29T22:58:17
States decide how to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines. In Iowa, there are two phases that involve nearly one million Iowans. The will be around 50,000 doses per week in February. While it’s expected to...
Listen
Accessing Subcommittees from 2021-01-22T17:22:36
The Iowa House and Senate committees and subcommittees are available to the public using video conference systems but both have different rules. There are also changes to the House rules for this n...
Listen
The Conditions Of The 2021 Legislative Session from 2021-01-22T17:05:57
As the 89th Iowa General Assembly begins, House Republicans have more seats from the November election and the party maintains a majority status in the Senate. With a Republican governor, this is t...
Listen
Last-Minute Legislation from 2020-06-15T09:12:55
During the last week of the 2020 legislative session a series of changes about absentee voting passes in the Senate, but the House changes the bill dramatically. A proposal titled "More Perfect Uni...
Listen
Resuming Session Amid Pandemic And Protests from 2020-06-06T19:31:49
While the session was suspended for 12 weeks, 564 Iowans died from COVID-19 complications. Before returning, the legislative council met to discuss how to come back to the Capitol with new health a...
Listen
Suspending Session from 2020-03-17T14:27:39
With the coronavirus reaching community spread, Gov. Kim Reynolds and legislative leaders are suspending the 2020 legislative session. In order to do this, first the House and Senate must meet to p...
Listen
Estimates - Coronavirus Impact - Expanding Cannabidiol Act from 2020-03-13T16:16:54
The Revenue Estimating Conference meets to share a forecast of how much revenue the state will take in. For Fiscal Year 2020, things are on track from previous estimates, but FY 2021 is revised dow...
Listen
Making Compromises from 2020-03-06T15:57:50
Three weeks ago the Senate and House passed different funding levels for K-12 public education. This week the chambers announced a compromise and now schools know where to set the budgets they will...
Listen
Glass Pipe Tax - Confirmation - Income Verification - Abortion Testimony from 2020-02-28T16:29:11
The governor appoints hundreds of people to positions requiring Senate confirmation. This week some of the individuals making it through the required two-thirds majority vote are Department of Natu...
Listen
Religion - Vaccination - Redemption from 2020-02-21T18:19:22
During funnel week, dozens of bills come before subcommittees hoping to make it past the committee level to stay in play for the rest of the session. One bill that would add clarity about “bona fid...
Listen
Education: Spending, Parental Notification, Athlete Compensation from 2020-02-14T17:39:51
One of the first legislative debates of the year is over school state aid. Forty-three percent of the state’s budget goes to K-12 public education. This year the Senate and House are at odds over h...
Listen
Tax Department Upgrade, Driving & Phones, Expanding Veterans Treatment Courts from 2020-02-07T16:54:31
Directors of state agencies visit appropriations subcommittees to explain their department goals, budget needs, and to answer legislators questions. The Iowa Department of Revenue director Craig Pa...
Listen
A Changing Judiciary from 2020-01-24T17:28:09
Last year a law changed how justices make their way to the bench. Senate Republicans supported the change because they claim some court rulings are examples of “judicial activism.” Acting Chief Jus...
Listen
Restarting The 88th Iowa General Assembly from 2020-01-17T15:13:52
The Iowa General Assembly lasts two years. As legislators pick up where they left off in 2019, we hear priorities from both parties and Gov. Kim Reynolds lays out her budget and policy proposals in...
Listen
Under the Golden Dome: End Game from 2019-04-27T21:29:28
This is the last week for the 2019 Iowa Legislative Session. It was scheduled for 110 days,but ended a bit early on day 104.
Listen