A rare defeat for House Republicans

Good morning,

Iowa House Republicans suffered a rare public defeat yesterday when 12 of their members defected to join Democrats in voting no on an amendment that would have banned businesses from requiring workers to take the COVID-19 vaccine and capped damages in lawsuits involving commercial vehicles, causing it to fail 48-50.

Republican legislators have been wrangling over the language for weeks as they sought to find an agreement, but both topics have been controversial within the party.

Melissa Deatsch, a spokesperson for House Speaker Pat Grassley, said Republicans thought they had 51 votes when they brought up the bill.

"Obviously that did not come to fruition," she said.

Just a reminder: Republicans hold a 60-40 majority in the House.

Republicans propose blocking carbon pipelines from using eminent domain

It just goes to show you never know what'll happen during funnel week.

Also yesterday, House Republicans pulled a maneuver to replace a bill on cosmetology with one that would ban pipelines from seeking or using eminent domain until next March.

Why now? Three companies are proposing building pipelines across Iowa that would trap carbon emissions from ethanol and fertilizer plants and store them underground.

Opponents of the pipelines are concerned that eminent domain could be used to force landowners to sell their property. The companies say they're seeking voluntary agreements.

This is Stephen, probably as confused as you are after all the shenanigans lawmakers have pulled this week. If you've got questions about what's going to happen next, email me at sgrubermil@registermedia.com. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: A rare defeat for House Republicans