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Deciding Iowa
Deciding Iowa is a podcast tackling the tough political and people-focused issues shaping our state. Through honest conversations and deep dives into policy, Shawn Ellerbroek and Emily Boevers break down complex topics with expert voices and clear insights. Each episode explores what’s at stake and where Iowa goes from here.
Episodes
28 episodes
Season 2 - Episode 22: Quick Hits 2nd Funnel Part 2 Nothing Truly Really Dies
After the 2nd funnel, we talked about what’s still alive…Now it’s time for what didn’t make it.And remember, nothing truly dies at the Capitol. It can always come back in another form. Nothing truly ever dies.In Episode ...
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3:17
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Season 2 - Episode 21: Quick Hits 2nd Funnel
After the 2nd legislative funnel, some bills are gone…and some are very much still alive.🎶 Yes… we went there.In Episode 21 Quick Hits, we break it down:✔️ Investments in pediatric cancer research✔️ Mental health car...
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3:34
Season 2 - Episode 20: House Property Tax
🚢 “Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.”That might be the best way to describe where Iowa property tax reform is headed right now.The House has its plan.The Senate has a different one.The Governor has another.
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3:46
Season 2 - Episode 19: Monopoly: Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200
Monopoly: Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200Property tax reform sounds simple… until you follow the money.In Episode 19 of Deciding Iowa, we break down what’s actually in Senate Study Bill 3001 and why it may not be the “relief” it’s ...
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7:26
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Make Iowa Healthy Again
🎥 New Episode: Make Iowa Healthy AgainWhat’s happening with Iowa’s health policy right now?In this episode of Deciding Iowa we talk about:• A pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease• A bill that tried to address it but n...
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2:24
Season 2 - Episode 17: Following the Money
💰 Deciding Iowa – Episode 17 - Follow the MoneyYou’ve probably heard Iowa has a budget surplus.But where did it come from… and what happens when it runs out?In this episode, we break down the numbers ...
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5:52
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Party of Lincoln
🎙️ New Episode: The Party of Lincoln?A bill about taxpayer-funded religious materials. A bill limiting local civil rights commissions. A bill that could hurt local newspapers.And yes… Franklin and Jeffe...
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2:42
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Quick Hits
This week’s Deciding Iowa episode covers several issues moving through the Iowa Legislature that deserve thoughtful attention.One piece of legislation addressing human trafficking passed the Iowa House unanimously 89–0. Human traffickin...
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3:30
Season 2 - Episode 14: Hardly Working
2,901 bills filed.Nearly 30% more than last year.With rising cancer rates, water concerns, underfunded schools, workforce shortages, and property tax questions…Are we tackling Iowa’s biggest challenges or targeting bookmobi...
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4:01
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Who Pooped in the Park?
💧 Who pooped in the park?Yes… we actually talk about that.But underneath the humor is a serious issue: 58% of Iowans say water quality is a very serious problem. 72% say rising cancer rates are.So what has the legislatur...
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5:15
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Governor Limitations
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Governor LimitationsFunnel week = fewer bills…but bigger questions.What’s moving forward could reshape how Iowa is governed...from emergency powers to budget decisions.🎧 Catch the latest Deciding ...
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4:26
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Higher Education & More
🚨 New Episode of Deciding Iowa 🚨Annexing Illinois counties? Building an NFL stadium for the Chicago Bears? Rewriting higher education in Iowa?Some bills feel like distractions. Others could resh...
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5:25
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Quick Hits - Vaccines, Homeschooling and More
Deciding Iowa – Quick Hits Episode Reducing vaccines in schools.Reducing homeschool oversight and grading.Allowing more guns on school grounds.These aren’t hypothetical debates, they’re real bills moving throug...
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3:45
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Water and Fecal Matter
🐄 Deciding Iowa – Season 2, Episode 9Water should not be controversial.In this episode, we break down House Study Bill 657 a bill that would make it harder for Iowa to designate polluted waterways as “impaired.”<...
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2:59
Season 2 - Episode 8 - No Fault Divorce
After 50+ years of recognizing marriage and the people in it as equal partners under the law, why are we reopening this door?Senate File 2172 would allow couples to waive no-fault divorce at the time they apply for a marriage license. On...
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4:33
Season 2 - Episode 7: Public Education
If you care about Iowa schools, this episode is worth your time.From classroom learning to school funding, Deciding Iowa takes a closer look at decisions already underway and what’s quietly (or not so quietly) changing in our schools.
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5:55
Lightning Round - Priority - Water
🚨 Deciding Iowa Priorities: Lightning Round 🚨💧 Shawn’s top legislative priority? Water.Because without clean, safe water, we don’t have anything. Our health, our land, and our future depend on how we protect...
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0:35
Season 2 - Episode 6: Tough on Crime or Tough on Iowa?
Iowa lawmakers say one of their top priorities is keeping Iowa “safe.” But what does that actually mean and at what cost?In Episode 6 of Deciding Iowa, Shawn and Emily take a closer look at the proposed three-strikes sentencing bill, inc...
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6:30
Season 2 - Episode 5: Eminent Domain
This matters, Iowa.The Iowa House and Senate are playing procedural games with eminent domain and the carbon pipeline and landowners are caught in the middle.What just happened today with House File 2041 should raise serious quest...
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4:41
Season 2 - Episode 4: Supporting Law Enforcement
UPDATE: The subcommittee meeting has been canceled. Stay tuned for updates yet keep up the pressure!______________We want to take a moment to reflect on what’s happening to our neighbors in Minnesota. This moment calls for honest ...
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2:25
Season 2 - Episode 3: Public Health & Public Education
This week, Shawn and Emily dig into what’s really surfacing at the Statehouse: Bills impacting public education Free speech & litigation concerns Cancer research funding (some good news!) Heal...
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6:53
Season 2 - Episode 2: Where’s the Rewind?
This week on Deciding Iowa, Shawn and Emily dig into what’s happening at the Iowa Legislature and what’s not being talked about.They cover: The Governor’s Condition of the State address and the issues missing from the convers...
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4:32
Season 2 - 2026 Iowa Legislature Is In Session
The Iowa Legislature is back in session and so are we.This week, we’re recording the first Deciding Iowa episode of 2026. Watch for details next weekend as we break down what the Iowa House and Senate are already discussing and what we’...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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4:05
Episode 16 - Part 6 on Water Quality with Shawn and Emily
Part 6 — The Cost of Clean Water: Prevention, Accountability, and HealthIn the final episode of our six-part water series, Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek (cancer scientist, biochemist, professor, and Iowa House District 57 candidate) and Dr...
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26:30
Episode 14: Part 4 of 6 on Iowa Water Quality with Shawn & Emily
In the fourth part of Deciding Iowa’s six-part series on water, Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek and Dr. Emily Boevers turn their attention to the backbone of Iowa agriculture: row crops. Joined by Dr. Matt Helmers, they explore the challenges of an “annua...
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13:10