Difference between revisions of "Iowa"

Revision as of 00:29, January 19, 2019

See the Iowa caucuses for the political event.

Iowa is located in the Midwestern region of the United States and on December 28, 1846 became the twenty-ninth state to enter into the union. During the American Civil War, Iowa supported the United States. The capital of Iowa is Des Moines, which is also its largest city. The current governor of Iowa is Kim Reynolds (Republican).

The Iowa Caucus is the first primary contest for Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. That makes it an important campaigning spot for prospective candidates.

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002, the Iowa legislature passed an 'English-Only' bill with the effect of making English the state's only official language. The names of Des Moines, Dubuque, and Cerro Gordo counties were unaffected.

Iowa was the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.^[1] It was not by legislation, but through judicial activism. On April 3, 2009, in a unanimous decision, the Iowa state supreme court overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage. The decision states, "“This approach does not disrespect or denigrate the religious views of many Iowans who may strongly believe in marriage as a dual-gender union, but considers, as we must, only the constitutional rights of all people, as expressed by the promise of equal protection for all.” The only way to overturn this decision is through an amendment to the state constitution, which would not be possible until 2012 at the earliest.^[2]

In 2017, the Iowa legislature, with massive GOP majorities,^[3] passed and enacted legislation massively expanding gun rights, including enacting and expanding a stand-your-ground law, providing legal advantages to gun owners, and giving additional rights to minors, among other provisions.^[4] The state also enacted voter ID legislation,^[5] defunded Planned Parenthood,^[6] and passed a law outlawing abortion if the child's heartbeat is detected.^[7][8][9]

The state Constitution of Iowa, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. It says in the preamble:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuance of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the STATE OF IOWA, the boundaries whereof shall be as follows:

Elected officials

Federal

• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R)
• Sen. Joni Ernst (R)
• Rep. Abby Finkenauer [D, IA-1]
• Rep. David Loebsack [D, IA-2]
• Rep. Cindy Axne [D, IA-3]
• Rep. Steve King [R, IA-4]

Statewide

• Governor Kim Reynolds (R)
• Lt. Governor Adam Gregg (R) (acting)
• Secretary of State Paul Pate (R)
• State Auditor Mary Mosiman (R)
• Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey (R)
• State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald (D)
• Attorney General Tom Miller (D)

References

1. ↑ Iowans dismiss three justices
2. ↑ The Des Moines Register, Unanimous ruling: Iowa marriage no longer limited to one man, one woman, by JEFF ECKHOFF and GRANT SCHULTE, April 3, 2009 [1]
3. ↑ Russell, Joyce (November 9, 2016). Iowa Senate Turns Republican in Tuesday Voting. Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
4. ↑ De Lea, Brittany (April 13, 2017). Iowa Passes Massive Expansion of Gun Rights, More States to Follow?. Fox Business. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
5. ↑ Klukowski, Ken (May 6, 2017). Iowa Adopts Voter-ID Law. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
6. ↑ Hellmann, Jessie (May 19, 2017). Four Planned Parenthood clinics to close in Iowa after defunding. The Hill. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
7. ↑ Iowa governor signs 'fetal heartbeat' abortion ban into law. Reuters. May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
8. ↑ Freiburger, Calvin (May 4, 2018). Iowa governor signs bill banning abortions on babies with beating hearts. LifeSiteNews. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
9. ↑ Berry, Susan (May 4, 2018). Iowa Bans All Abortions After Point of Detection of Fetal Heartbeat. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 4, 2018.