Lawmakers’ families bring home big perks
By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES – Family members and close friends of Iowa‘s Congressional Delegation benefit from their relative’s position, whether it be through securing special one-time funding for an alma mater or hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay a lawmaker’s son for working on his campaign, a review federal records shows.
Take [...]
Court orders Des Moines board to turn over closed-session tape
By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
A Polk County judge Friday agreed to review the tape of a closed-door meeting held by the Des Moines School Board in regards to former Superintendent Nancy Sebring’s controversial departure.
Graham Gillette, a former school board member, brought a lawsuit against the district last year requesting that a judge review the [...]
Iowa lawmakers stall on measure to track welfare spending
By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES – A bill to limit the use of Iowa welfare dollars at strip clubs, bars and casinos stalled Wednesday when members of the Iowa House approved an amended version they then returned to the Iowa Senate.
With the Legislative session winding down, House members spent more than four hours debating [...]
Weak transparency laws leave Iowans in the dark
By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES — When it comes to transparency in government, Iowa agencies face few consequences if they break the state’s open records and meetings laws, some state officials say.
Under state law, the only way for Iowans to remedy potential violations is to take taxpayer-funded agencies to court, which is a slow [...]







