13Mar 2019 by Lynda Waddington
Do you share these priorities?

Do you share these priorities?

Gazette Column
Unveiled Monday, the Trump administration's proposed budget is an exercise in wrongheaded priorities, repeatedly sacrificing government investment in working-class America. Let me show you. Because this is Iowa, let's begin by looking at proposed budget changes at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Trump administration proposes a 15 percent cut to USDA programs - billions in reductions. Included is a $26 billion cut to crop insurance, $9 billion to voluntary conservation programs, and $5 billion to Section 32 programs that help purchase American commodities in times of need (such as during a self-inflicted trade war.) It perhaps should not be surprising that the Trump administration makes another attempt to reduce food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and once again promotes the widely panned harvest boxes. But…
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03Mar 2019 by Lynda Waddington
Iowa bills target emergency insulin access gap

Iowa bills target emergency insulin access gap

Gazette Column
Two bills making their way through the Iowa Legislature would help diabetics receive live-saving insulin in emergency situations. Senate File 291, sponsored by Sen. Carrie Koelker, R-Dyersville, and House File 447, sponsored by Reps. Andy McKean, R-Anamosa, and Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, are working their way through the human resources committees in their respective chambers. Their aim is fairly narrow in that they would allow Iowa pharmacists to dispense a 30-day supply of insulin to those with an expired prescription in an emergency circumstance, even when a physician's authorization cannot be obtained. Similar bills - known as Howdy's Law or Kevin's Law - have been passed in several other states following the advocacy of Dan and Judy Houdeshell of Ohio. Their son, Kevin 'Howdy” Houdeshell, ran out of insulin over the…
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30Jan 2019 by Lynda Waddington
Put people at center of public policies

Put people at center of public policies

Gazette Column
Maybe, now that the business community is raising red flags, something will change. Members of the Iowa Business Council, a group that represents the state's largest businesses, held a news conference at the Statehouse Monday to release their annual, nonpartisan review of economic trends. Dubbed Iowa's Competitive Dashboard, the report measures statewide progress in five areas relative to other states - economic growth, education and workforce, governance, demographics and diversity, and health and wellness. Headlines from the rollout have focused on demographics and diversity because the Business Council found the greatest shortcomings in that area, and because the issue rolls nicely into the larger national conversation about immigration. In the coming days, the Council plans to launch a public-private partnership to research and implement ways the state can attract and…
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