Featured Stories
– As Funnel Week comes to an end, Iowa lawmakers still have several important bills in the works.
– Supreme Court upholds prison sentences for some low-level drug dealers
– CR St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns March 17th
– Greening for St. Paddy’s Day near CR
Episode transcription
The Iowa Legislature's second funnel deadline will soon pass. Take a look at what lawmakers are saying at the Iowa State Capitol.
And the Supreme Court has since upheld mandatory prison sentences for some low-level drug dealers.
Plus, what you need to know ahead of Cedar Rapids' St. Patrick's Day Parade
Welcome to the weekend edition of the Gazette Daily News podcast. This podcast provides a quick look at the latest headlines from The Gazette newsroom. I'm Bailey Cichon.
First, the second procedural deadline for the Iowa Legislature's 2024 session has passed. Bills that do not pass are technically not eligible for consideration in the remainder of the session. However, this does not apply to spending bills, tax policy or budget bills. Two House education bills failed to pass. This includes a bill that would mandate a K-12 social studies curriculum focused on the quote “The Cultural Heritage of Western Civilization.” That curriculum was probably written by a conservative think tank. Additionally, a bill that would limit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at Iowa's three public universities failed to advance. House Republicans approved both bills, but Senate Republicans did not advance them.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate measured success differently after the second week of the funnel. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Grimes, called the funnel a success and pointed to the narrow scope of the Senate's legislative agenda.
Quote, “I think Iowa is in a really good position. In my opinion, we don't need that many bills to make Iowa strong and keep Iowa strong. So keep Iowa strong. We don't need to pass 200 or 300 bills to do that.'' End quote.
Whitver said Senate Republicans' remaining work includes crafting a budget, tax cuts and legislation to overhaul Iowa's local education agencies.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, said some bills have failed to be considered in the Senate, including a bill that would cap the amount that staffing companies can charge for the assistance of temporary health care workers. expressed dissatisfaction. Grassley ended the citation by saying that some of the issues passed beyond the citation “need to continue as part of the ongoing dialogue between the House and Senate.” Lawmakers could introduce the policy bill into a future budget bill or incorporate it into a companion bill that would effectively revive proposals that failed to advance by the funnel deadline.
Finally, Democratic leaders accused Republicans of voting for and passing a bill that serves quote-unquote “special interests” at the expense of Iowans. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum of Dubuque said the issues facing this Congress are not the ones Iowans want addressed.
Quote “They have asked us to fully fund education. They have asked us to stop stripping local control away from school boards and cities and counties…They have asked us to fully fund education. I want our people to invest in the environment and have clean water, lakes and rivers. So these are the kinds of things that Iowans have been asking us to address. And so far, I We are not like that.'' End quote.
For a detailed breakdown, read the story linked in this episode description.
Second, the Supreme Court ruled Friday that mandatory prison sentences for thousands of low-level drug dealers will be upheld. The justices took on the case of Mark Pulsifer, an Iowa man who was convicted in 2020 of distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. The case considered whether Mr. Pulsifer was subject to the non-quote “safety valve” clause of the First Step Act of 2018. Sentencing Reform Act. This provision provides for situations in which lower-level, nonviolent drug dealers who plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors may be given lighter sentences. The fate of Pulsifer's sentence, and that of thousands of other drug dealers across the country, depended on how safety valve eligibility was determined. They considered whether meeting just one condition would disqualify him, or whether he would have to meet all three conditions to be disqualified. Pulsifer's lawyers argued that all three conditions must be met for a longer sentence to be imposed. Pulsifer fulfilled two of the three conditions.
Ultimately, the court ruled that Pulsifer did not meet the requirements and that one condition was sufficient to impose a minimum obligation. The dissenters included Justices Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor. In his dissent, Gorsuch wrote that the court's decision denied thousands of people the ability to cite reduced sentences as “a chance, just a chance.” Approximately 6,000 people convicted of drug trafficking in the 2021 budget year alone would have received reduced sentences, according to data compiled by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the majority opinion that the clause's cited language “creates an eligibility checklist and requires defendants to meet all of its conditions.” End of quotation.
Pulsifer, 61, is not scheduled to be released until 2031. Congress could still amend the law if the court finds it wrong.
On Sunday, the annual Sapada Paso Parade marches through the streets of Cedar Rapids. The parade begins at 1 p.m. at His 6th Avenue and His 3rd Avenue Southeast. The route turns onto 2nd Avenue Southeast, enters 2nd Avenue Southeast, snakes back down 3rd Avenue Southeast, and ends at his 5th Avenue Southeast by Green Square and the Cedar Rapids Public Library downtown. He has 90 entries in the parade and long lines are expected. Entries range from family floats and walking groups to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Parking is prohibited on the parade route. Ticketing and towing will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, and the street will be closed to traffic around noon. After the parade, the Champagne School of Irish Dance will host a free performance and mini-lesson in Irish dance starting at 3:15 p.m. See a complete list of St. Patrick's Day events around eastern Iowa at the link in this episode description.
If you're looking for a recap of Iowa news from the past week, look for Sunday's “Iowa Week” recap. Find it at thegazette.com.
So let's take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It will be windy Saturday. The expected high temperature is 53 degrees and the low temperature is 25 degrees. It will be sunny on Sunday. The expected high temperature is 40 degrees and the low temperature is 19 degrees. It will also be sunny on Monday. The expected maximum temperature is 39 degrees and the expected minimum temperature is 26 degrees.
Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Get the latest news from Eastern Iowa at Gazette.com. I'm Bailey Cichon.
Comment: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com
