By Paul Kaldahl - First English Lutheran Church, Spencer

Have you heard this one? A guy is seated in an airplane that is going to Detroit. The woman, sitting next to him, sees that this guy looks a little worried and asks, “Is this your first flight?” The man responds, “No, I flown many times.” “Why do you look so troubled?” The guy said, “My company is moving me to Detroit.” It’s difficult to market a place like Detroit.

Until the Biden Administration does its job to protect our nation’s borders, states are stepping up to the challenge. Border states, like Texas, have passed legislation to permit the arrest of those who enter the state when they are not legally allowed to be in the country.

This week was extremely busy with debate as well as advancing the governor’s appointees out of standing committees. I am also in the process of reviewing the appropriation budget bills that relate to the total state budget, and more specifically, the Administration and Regulations appropriations for state departments and agencies. These bills are being worked on and will be going to the floor soon for debate and passage.

The Farm Bill is an important investment in our hardworking farmers and producers, the competitiveness of American agriculture and the strength of our economy. From trade, energy and conservation to crop insurance, rural development and access to affordable credit, every title of the Farm Bill touches a critical component for agriculture and our rural communities.

By Jessica Amendt - Discovery House Executive Director

Along with showcasing the previous year's trail projects and activities, the 2023 Dickinson Country Trails Annual Report features development and maintenance projects that are going into construction in the new year as well as projects in planning for the near future. Several exciting projects are on the docket and include completing a regional connection and starting a new one.

This week in the Senate, we’ve been exceptionally busy with debate. Iowa being Iowa, we had highs of 70 and lows in the teens, but now the spring equinox has officially launched on March 19 with the promise of renewal and warmer weather. I continue to renew my promise of working hard for the constituents of District 5 to make Iowa a better place to live.

Over the last few weeks I have addressed school safety. I have addressed arming staff and school infrastructure, both of which are important and both of which the state house has passed important bills over the last few months and sent them to the Senate for passage.

Q: What is the USDA Agriculture Census?

In my weekly column last week, I outlined my strong opposition to President Biden’s $7.3 trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2025. As I noted, this proposal would hike taxes on our families, farmers and businesses by $5.5 trillion, leave our country with a $1.8-trillion budget deficit for FY 2025 and balloon our national debt by trillions and trillions of dollars. It must be resoundingly rejected for the good of our fiscal health and financial stability.

By Carol DeSchepper - First Lutheran Church, Milford

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Perry, Iowans have demanded workable and effective school security measures. A recent poll in the Des Moines Register indicated 60 percent of Iowans supported the House Republican plan to thoroughly train and arm school personnel who volunteer to serve in such a capacity inside school buildings. All Democrats present for that bill voted against it. Regardless, House Republicans have methodically moved forwarded with additional school security plans during

This week in the Senate, we continued our work on bills received from the House. This process is key to getting the bill ready for floor debate through discussion and amendment if necessary. Three of the committees I serve on, Judiciary, Commerce, and Workforce, all met.

Q: Any surprises in President Biden’s budget proposal?

More than a month after federal law requires, President Biden finally submitted his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025 to Congress. The $7.3 trillion price tag alone is reason enough to throw this budget in the trash where the rest of President Biden’s trillion-dollar spending packages should have also gone.