New Jersey's voter registration error shows that election integrity depends on accurate systems, not just good intentions. A software glitch registered thousands of self-identified noncitizens, demonstrating how administrative failures can undermine public confidence. Iowa has strengthened safeguards, but recent audits show continued vigilance is necessary. Constitutional protections, citizenship...
Iowa agriculture remains under financial pressure, with farm incomes down 53 percent from 2022 to 2024 amid low commodity prices, rising costs, and trade uncertainty. The Iowa Farm Bureau's 2026 Economic Summit featured competing views on trade, with Samuel Gregg criticizing tariffs while former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer defended them as necessary to achieve balanced trade. The d...
Supreme Court Clarifies Tax Sale Rights: In Pung v. Isabella County, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that taxpayers are entitled to the surplus proceeds from a tax sale—but not the fair market value of their property if it later sells for more. “Nothing Less, and Nothing More”: Building on its 2023 Tyler decision, the Court reaffirmed that governments may collect unpaid taxes through a tax sale, but...
Federalism was designed to ensure that every state has a voice, not just the nation’s largest population centers. The Electoral College helps preserve that balance by encouraging presidential candidates to build support across diverse regions, including rural America. As power becomes increasingly centralized in Washington, protecting federalism remains essential to preserving local self-governmen...
Iowa's tax sale system allows private investors to acquire property when taxes go unpaid, raising questions about whether homeowners can lose equity that exceeds the amount of taxes owed. Both the Iowa and U.S. Constitutions protect property rights, and the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause prohibits the government from taking private property without just compensation. A unanimous 2023 U.S. Suprem...
Iowa has no constitutional or statutory limit on session length. The 100- and 110-day deadlines are informal benchmarks tied to per diem payments and staffing, not mandatory adjournment dates. The 2026 session lasted 112 days. Lawmakers worked beyond the traditional endpoint, finishing on May 3 after a marathon final push. Annual sessions have not always been the norm. Iowa moved from biennial to ...
Research comparing states with and without Certificate of Need (CON) laws suggests CON requirements can limit competition and reduce access to rural health care services. During the 2026 legislative session, Iowa passed significant CON reforms that reduce regulatory barriers and narrow the number of projects requiring state approval. The reforms should make it easier for providers to expand servic...
Iowa has pursued a fiscally conservative, growth-oriented strategy centered on lower taxes, restrained spending, and economic competitiveness under Governor Reynolds’ “Freedom to Flourish” philosophy. Recent reforms have strengthened the state’s fiscal position and improved its ability to compete for residents and investment. For Midwestern states like Iowa, long-term success will depend less on g...
The most practical way to view the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa is that it allows a broader range of ideas to flourish on campus. Reasonable people can disagree, and the center offers students an opportunity to engage more deeply with the nation’s history while participating in thoughtful, open discussion of important issues. That is, after all, a key tenet of higher e...
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation was invited to a national conference of economists and policy experts, where John Hendrickson served as a panelist on communicating complex economic ideas to the public. The discussion emphasized that effective policy communication requires translating technical issues, like property tax reform, into clear, relatable language focused on real-world impact. The panel...
Government shutdowns—like the recent DHS lapse—aren’t just political fights in Washington; they create real disruptions for everyday Americans, from airport delays to potential security risks. These shutdowns often stem from using the budget as leverage in policy disputes, leaving taxpayers and unpaid government workers to bear the consequences. A better approach exists: budget continuation laws, ...
Why lawmakers are acting now: Iowa legislators have been considering oversight measures in Medicaid and SNAP to strengthen program integrity, prevent fraud, and prepare for new federal policies that will penalize states with high error or fraud rates. National problems highlight the risk: Large-scale fraud uncovered in states like Minnesota, and an estimated $186 billion in improper payments natio...
Populism reflects real frustration with cultural decline and economic instability — but the solution matters. The key divide is whether populism empowers people or expands government power. National conservatism risks centralizing authority, using executive power, tariffs, and industrial policy in ways that blur constitutional limits and shift decision-making from citizens to politicians. Freedom ...
National conservatism argues that conservatism must prioritize the nation’s common good, restoring sovereignty, moral order, and national cohesion after decades of emphasizing individual autonomy above all else. It contends that markets alone cannot preserve communities or national strength, and that prudent policies — including protective tariffs, immigration limits, and restrained foreign policy...
Regulations aren’t just technical rules, they function like stealth taxes, often carrying real economic costs while being issued with limited public oversight. A local REINS Act would require city councils and county boards of supervisors to approve new department rules and include a public cost-benefit analysis before those regulations take effect. The goal is stronger checks and balances at the ...
Iowa’s Certificate of Need (CON) laws restrict when providers can build, expand, or add services, requiring state approval for major projects and expenditures. The process protects incumbent providers from competition. Recent proposals would significantly narrow CON requirements. Senator Kara Warme’s broad reform bill cleared the first legislative funnel by being passed out of Committee last week....
Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is most often framed around the Civil War and slavery, but his economic philosophy—particularly his support for protectionism and economic nationalism—is frequently overlooked. Influenced by the Whig and Federalist traditions and leaders like Henry Clay, Lincoln championed the American System, which emphasized protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements ...
Regulatory reform is a structural issue of governance and accountability, centered on who makes the rules that shape Iowa’s economy and whether major policy decisions are made by elected lawmakers or unelected agencies. Large, costly regulations act as a hidden tax on Iowans, raising prices, slowing growth, and reducing opportunity—yet often take effect without the same scrutiny applied to major s...
Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility that depends on local cooperation. Local officials are not meant to enforce immigration law themselves, but when they cooperate with federal authorities—by transferring custody after criminal cases are resolved—enforcement occurs quietly and efficiently, largely out of public view. When states or cities refuse to cooperate, enforcement becomes m...
Affordability pressures are real, but government spending helped cause them. Massive federal COVID-era spending—and unchecked state and local program expansion—flooded the economy with dollars, fueled inflation, and worsened affordability, meaning government should first examine its own role before proposing new interventions. Not all “affordability solutions” are rooted in free-market principles....
A prediction of Supreme Court expansion sparks a deeper debate about whether sweeping institutional reforms align with or undermine the constitutional framework the Founders designed. America was built as a republic, not a pure democracy, with federalism, separation of powers, the Electoral College, and an independent judiciary intentionally structured to restrain majority impulses and protect lib...
In November 1620, after arriving in Cape Cod, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact before setting foot on land. Though often overlooked today, the Compact remains a foundational document in the development of American constitutionalism and self-government. Constitutional scholar James McClellan wrote that by adopting the Compact, the Pilgrims brought a contractual theory of government to the ...
Governor Kim Reynolds’ effort to make government more efficient took another major step forward with the release of the final report from the Iowa Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force. Announced during her 2025 Condition of the State Address, the Task Force was charged with finding new ways to streamline government, modernize operations, and ultimately reduce Iowa’s property tax b...
Conservatives of the 1920s viewed the Constitution as the enduring foundation of American liberty, emphasizing limited government, federalism, and the need to preserve timeless principles rather than treat the document as obsolete. They rejected the progressive notion of a “living Constitution,” instead describing it as an anchor—flexible through amendment, but grounded in unchanging truths and ro...
The fireworks law may seem like a small matter, but it serves as a powerful example of how preemption works—and why it’s important for local governments to stay informed and responsive to changes at the state level. Iowa cities and counties enjoy a great deal of autonomy in managing their local affairs thanks to what’s known as “home rule.” Iowa’s constitution grants home rule authority to cities...