Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Floor debate on HF 333 — “The Public Improvement Quality Protection Act,” as it now calls itself — has been delayed as bill drafters finalize some significant last-minute amendments. Many in the capitol see this as a sign that Democrats have found their 51st vote for the bill, which would require most publicly funded construction projects to pay wages that match “prevailing wages” on other nearby construction projects.
Although we do not yet know what amendments will be offered, the delay indicates that Democratic leaders are attempting to carve something out of the bill that makes it more palatable to one of the hold-outs in their caucus while still being acceptable to the Building Trades unions. The delay may also indicate that the changes will be significant.
The bill is not likely to come up for a vote before leaders know it will pass, and most signals point to a vote sometime this afternoon or evening.
So, while nothing is over until the House’s voting machine is closed, HF 333 looks like a pretty safe bet to pass in some amended form. Democrats in the Senate will probably have less trouble passing their version of the bill than their counterparts in the House, and Gov. Chet Culver has signaled strong support for it. It could be law in no time.
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