We value diversity. We are committed to the inclusion and full participation of diverse populations in the Democratic Party and in the democratic processes of government regardless of language, race, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or illness. For many reasons, historically oppressed people have traditionally been under-represented both in the Party and processes of government. Therefore, the Iowa 2^nd Congressional District Democratic Party as a whole and as individual members accept responsibility to take proactive steps to reach out and encourage an increase in participation of historically oppressed groups.

We believe none are truly free unless all are free; that justice is the right of all, not just those who have the means or power to seize it.

The legitimate function of government is to accomplish those social goals, which we cannot achieve as individuals. We believe in and continue to work for a truly representative government:

• Working for the good of the people
• Compassionate, progressive, responsible and fair
• Steadfastly seeking to promote liberty, justice, security, equality, and individual freedom for everyone
• Striving to achieve peace, prosperity, and a national outlook of confidence and hope.

Whenever the rights of any of our citizens are threatened, the rights of all are endangered. We take seriously the obligation to preserve, protect, and secure basic constitutional, and civil rights.

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We believe in a government that consistently and fairly serves and protects all people irrespective of race, age, gender, disability, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, income level, marital status, religion, or geographic residence.

All Americans have a stake in local, national, and global economic systems that provide first and foremost, for the basic human needs: nourishment, shelter, health, employment and education.

We support America’s historic role as a leader in the search for a just peace in the world. We support our men and women in uniform, in their effort to achieve world peace and domestic security.

The spirit that animates America’s oldest political party is alive throughout the world. America’s faith in democracy is a beacon to persons of the developing free world as they strive to win the rights Americans take for granted. We are justly proud of our democratic party, its heritage, its accomplishments and its diversities. No part of that heritage is more valuable than our belief in the rights and worth of each individual.

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The answer to governmental fiscal problems lies in a strong economy founded upon broadly based prosperity. An equitable and wide distribution of wealth and a free and fairly compensated labor force expands our economy and creates a healthier society. Market forces alone often do not serve the common good. We believe in a government that protects all individuals and assures equal opportunities for all.

Everyone has a right to clean air, clean water, renewable sources of energy, and a healthy environment.

We reaffirm our support of Iowa’s family farmers, their rights and freedoms.

All Americans have a right to world-class education, which provides the opportunity to realize their full potential, and to take their places as responsible, participating members of a democracy.

Democrats are leading the way to a peaceful and economically just society for ourselves and for future generations. " The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; and those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped." - Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey.

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We support:

1. Repealing the Freedom to Farm Act.
2. Establishing a sustainable family farm system including demand driven prices, through fair trade and value-added uses, such as new crops and expanded ethanol use.
3. Funding market access programs, research, and domestic and foreign market development.
4. Land stewardship grants for conservation.
5. Eliminating penalties for previous conservation practices, and expanding the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to emphasize buffer zones, and short/medium flexible CRP to establish rotations.
6. Improving crop insurance.
7. A strategic reserve under farmers’ control that includes storage structure loans.
8. Ending the use of agricultural products as a foreign policy weapon.
9. A ban on packer control of livestock production.
10. Increasing research and development for sustainable alternative farming and forestry methods.
11. Increasing Iowa producer-owned processing cooperatives for grains and livestock.
12. Means testing for all farm payout programs.

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We support:

1. Full enforcement of food safety regulations.
2. Consumer choice through independent testing and labeling of food products that are irradiated, or contain genetically modified organisms, and label for country of origin and processing.
3. Strong national standards and certification for organically grown foods.

We support:

1. More effective regulatory enforcement, and local control of siting for industrial and livestock production, in order to protect the health and quality of life for all Iowans.
2. Funding both state and local programs, such as Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) that protect natural resources through best management practices.
3. Strengthening enforcement of regulations on the transport of all hazardous materials in all modes of transport.
4. Expanding Iowa’s container redemption/recycling law and expanding that concept to other recyclable materials.
5. More energy efficient appliances, vehicles, buildings, heating and lighting, and the use of alternative and cleaner fuels, including the use of ethanol and biodiesel.

We support:

1. Prevention of destructive urban sprawl, through urban planning, to reduce loss of agricultural land, and revitalize urban cores.
2. Using a scientific basis for siting landfills, and treatment and disposal facilities, to avoid unfair social or health impacts to certain neighborhoods.
3. Considering all alternative methods of waste separation recycling and disposal.

We Support:

1. Truth and fairness in campaigning.
2. Simple, uniform and fair voting procedures including same day voter registration.
3. Strengthening and expanding campaign finance reform.
4. Social Security funds being used for Social Security only.
5. A fair, equitable and progressive tax system.
6. Eliminating corporate welfare and bailouts.
7. Closing tax loopholes and offshore tax havens.
8. Freezing property taxes, by use of means testing, on homesteads of retirees,
   disabled citizens and/or those receiving public assistance.
9. Reasonable and responsible gun ownership legislation

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10. Requiring diversity training for all judicial and law enforcement officials.
11. Sentencing reform and repeal of mandatory sentencing laws.
12. Reformation of the criminal justice system to ensure fair application of the law
    without regard to race, age, gender, disability, creed, national origin, sexual orientation,
    gender identity, income level, marital status, religion, or geographic residence.
13. Expanding community corrections, institutional separation of juveniles and adults,
    improving treatment and prevention.
14. Studying and pursuing remedies for the disproportionate incarceration of Iowa's minorities.
15. Medical marijuana dispensing with appropriate controls to prevent substance abuse.
16. Immediate abolishment of the national death penalty.
17. Fully funding criminal defense for the indigent and mentally ill.
18. Leaving end of life decisions to the individual and/or family.
19. A woman's right to a safe and legal abortion.
20. A state constitutional amendment prohibiting discrimination on sexual orientation
    and gender identity.
21. Equal opportunity for military service regardless of gender or sexual orientation
    including combat positions when qualified.
22. Affirmative Action.
23. Passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.
24. Repeal of Iowa's Workplace drug-testing law.
25. Videotaping and surveillance only with implied consent or court order.
26. Further modifying the Hatch Act to allow federal employees greater participation
    in partisan politics.
27. A vigorous space program and sustained funding for NASA.

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We oppose:

1. Term limits on elected officials.
2. A federal balanced budget amendment.
3. Eliminating no-fault divorce.
4. The English only law.
5. Legislating the definition of family.
6. Laws that restrict child custody, adoption, parental rights and foster-parenting
   opportunities on the basis of sexual orientation.
7. The privatization of Social Security funds.
8. Taxation of unemployment benefits.
9. Encouragement of gambling by government entities.
10. Combining of city and county government and mandatory combining of counties.
11. Racial, ethnic and age profiling.
12. Government supported religious activities in public schools.
13. The politicalization of the governor’s appointive rights.
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1. Increasing state funding for school buildings and maintenance.
2. Maintaining high education and teacher preparation standards.
3. Providing adequate funding for student services in the areas of student assistance counselors, drug/alcohol counselors and career/college counselors.
4. Smaller class sizes, effective educational programming, including technological support and up-to-date equipment.
5. Research based measurement of student achievement in order to tailor the curriculum.
6. Funding of Iowa’s community colleges at a level comparable to the state’s public universities.
7. Equal opportunity for persons with disabilities and full federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and Iowa funding of Iowa’s Technology Act.
8. Additional funding to raise teachers’ salaries to encourage teachers to remain in Iowa.
9. Increased state funding for the arts.
10. Increased funding for the Head Start program.
11. Use of "Rainy Day Fund" for educational needs.
12. Reinstatement of the requirement for guidance counselors and library media specialists in the state code.
13. Reorganization and sharing between school districts with such decisions made at the local level.
14. The Enrich Iowa Initiative supporting public libraries.
15. Preparing educators to meet needs of students identified as "Gifted and Talented" and "Special Needs".
16. Cultural diversity in recruitment and hiring of educational personnel.
17. Legislation allowing passage of bond issues by simple majority.
18. Coordinated family service centers in schools.
19. Public school sex education including all types of birth control.
20. Adequate funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.
21. Increased funding for literacy.
22. Increased federal funding for veterans education benefits.
23. Timely delivery of school aid payments.
24. Public alternative education programs.
25. Programs for "at-risk" students.
26. Multi-cultural, nonsexist global curricula.
27. Beginning foreign language instruction in early elementary grades.
28. Standardization of workload determination for community college instructors.
29. Renewed emphasis on under-graduate instruction.
30. Increased student aid for college education through grants scholarships, and loans.
31. Uniform collection of student loan repayments including public service as repayment and forgiveness of loans for graduates who stay in Iowa.
32. Funding the Extension Service separately from the board of Regents.

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We Oppose:

1. Any type of voucher system, tuition tax credits or charter school plans which provide tax dollars to fund enrollment in K-12 private schools.
2. Cutting art, music, and counseling programs.
3. Standardized testing requirements for promotion or graduation.

We Support:

1. Comprehensive parity legislation with health insurance for all mental health care and addictive disorders, conditions and diseases without restrictions.
2. That out-of-pocket expenses for long- term care insurance be fully deductible as itemized deductions on income tax returns.
3. That it should be a right of every person to have access to healthcare, including prescription drug coverage.
4. State/federal funding of reproductive health services including comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, and recognizing the right to termination of pregnancy.
5. Federal funding for voluntary international family planning.
6. Protection of elderly and patient rights.
7. Increasing the monthly allotment allowed for Medicaid residents of nursing homes/veterans homes.
8. The state of Iowa shall repay and protect the Senior Living Trust.
9. An Autism Center of Excellence for Iowa.
10. Legislation and increased funding for education, outreach programs, unbiased research into medical treatments and alternative options for autism.
11. The goals, endeavors, projects, and legislative agendas of all groups working to raise awareness of birth defects, special education and other needs and illness of Iowa’s children.
12. Education/ research for prevention of AIDS/HIV, cancer, etc, and research better treatment.
13. Enforcement of high quality nursing home standards in Iowa.
14. Improved benefits and additional assistance for persons considering nursing as a career.
15. The right of each citizen to choose their preferred provider of medical, psychiatric, and behavioral healthcare services without change in benefit level, out-of-pocket, or co-pays.
16. Equalization of Medicare payments to rural hospitals.
17. Bans on prescription drug advertisements.
18. Comprehensive and innovative long-term care alternatives.
19. Stem cell research without the use of embryos.
20. Unannounced inspections of nursing homes, care facilities and other medical facilities and adequate funding for the inspections.
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    Human Resources

1. No penalization for working one's way out of the welfare system.
2. Broadening the categories of family members and length of time covered by the Family Leave Act.
3. Higher income tax deductions for childcare.
4. Increasing enforcement of restraining orders for domestic abuse.
5. Increase funding for additional safe houses for victims of domestic abuse.
6. Full funding for Women Infant and Children feeding programs (WIC), school breakfast, lunch programs, and Meals On Wheels.
7. Stricter enforcement of court ordered payments for child support.
8. Interstate reciprocity for child support, visitations, and custody rights.
9. Mandatory, anonymous disclosure of adoptee's birth-family medical history and records.
10. The living will and the individual's and family right to have input during terminal illness.
11. Establishment of fair federal standards allowing welfare and SSI recipients to work while receiving benefits.
12. A national program for universal, comprehensive accessible and affordable healthcare coverage for all, with accountability to agreed upon standards of quality.
13. Funding of high-quality childcare be made more available and affordable for working families and providing a living wage for childcare providers.
14. Affordable housing be provided through Iowa dedicated Real Estate transfer tax revenue for Local housing programs. Funds controlled at the local level to be used for low-income families and moderate-income housing needs.
15. Iowa's Emergency Assistance Program (EAP): Increase funding, which provides grants to low-income families with children to pay for rent, utilities, essential home repair, or a mortgage payment.
16. Adequate funding for Legal Services.
17. Funding of programs for combating physical, psychological, and sexual abuse of children, adults, elderly, spouses, ex-spouses, or cohabitants.

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We Oppose:

1. Taking any Social Security incomes from individuals who are residing in nursing homes.

1. Construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of affordable housing. Targeting inner-city neighborhoods and rural communities, through increased investment by federal, state, local, and private sectors.
2. Creative programs encouraging home ownership for poverty level, low-income, and middle-income people.
3. Providing to the homeless, food, shelter, financial intervention, educational opportunities, and greater access to social services, job and training opportunities.
4. Instituting tenant-based management of HUD projects.
5. Broadening the dissemination of public information concerning housing programs.
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1. The prevention of genocide, rape and other war crimes.
2. Using military force only when necessary.
3. Ratification of the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
4. Policies supporting the growth and development of democracies throughout the world.
5. International efforts to promote a healthy environment and eliminate infectious diseases.
6. Humanitarian foreign aid.
7. Cultural, scientific and educational exchanges among people of all countries.
8. Establishing the U.S. as a major promoter of peace.
9. Compassionate and responsible immigration policies, restoring habeas corpus for asylum seekers and international reunification of families.
10. Continuing the pursuit of normalized relations with Vietnam and Cuba and increased attempts to find the remains of all U.S. participants in all foreign wars.
11. Equal recognition shown to the concerns of Israelis and Palestinians.
12. The principles and efforts of the United Nations and payment of all current and past U.S. financial obligations.
13. Elimination of funding for the Anti-missile defense system.
14. International elimination of discrimination against women.
15. Ratification of treaties to eliminate land mines.
16. Eliminating the proliferation, development, testing and use of biological, chemical, nuclear and conventional weapons of mass destruction.
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1. The right of workers to organize and meaningful penalties to punish employers who violate worker's rights.
2. Repeal of the Iowa Right to Work law.
3. Fair share legislation by amending the Iowa Code Chapters 731 and 20 to require all employees to contribute to the cost associated with their collective bargaining representation.
4. The use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for government construction jobs.
5. Full funding for OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) inspections and granting employees the right to inspect unsafe workplaces, refuse unsafe work, and stop unsafe operations in the workplace.
6. Safe staffing standards for health care facilities and limits on mandatory overtime for health care workers.
7. Denying economic development assistance to any company that has a record of labor law violations and/or does not pay at least twice the minimum wage, as well as, provide healthcare to its employees.
8. Economic initiatives which are ecologically sustainable, i.e. which do not contribute to the deterioration of air and water quality or the environmental systems on which we all depend for our well-being and survival.
9. A minimum wage above the poverty level and indexed for inflation.
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10. A mandate that employers honor previously agreed on retirement benefits.
11. Extending unemployment compensation with extended health care coverage.
12. Equal pay for equal work for women.
13. Repealing the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) and prevent enactment of Fast Track Trade Authority and working for fair trade agreements that ensure participating nations will offer decent wages, humane working conditions, and sound environmental policies.
14. Caps on interest rates for credit cards, and check cashing companies.
15. The use of Iowa's economic development assets for small business "start-ups" with increased emphasis on jobs that pay a living wage with benefits and those that give workers the right to organize in these businesses.
16. Government protection from retaliation for employees reporting violations of health, safety, and other illegal practices. ("Whistle blowers")
17. Development and use of alternative and renewable energy resources including biomass, solar, wind power and ethanol.
18. Improving a national railroad passenger service with a connective bus system.
19. Correcting inequities in state tax incentive programs that do not create new employment opportunities.
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20. The need for guard towers at Iowa State prisons being open and staffed by prison employees.
21. The concept that all government-funded projects must use materials produced in the U. S. and consideration be given to a bidder's safety record when issuing government contracts.
22. A comprehensive rural policy that insures a decent standard of living in rural areas and funds only economic development efforts that create safe, good-paying jobs.
23. A federal government jobs program and vocational training and retraining.
24. Incentives for corporations to remain in the United States and tax penalties for those who move jobs out of the U. S.
25. Federal guidelines to limit state and local government competition in the use of incentives to attract and retain business.
26. Workers compensation laws that includes a choice of physician, increased death benefits, direct payment of all bills, rehabilitation services, privacy of records, and timely claim activity.
27. Strengthening and enforcement of plant closing and bankruptcy laws to protect employees.
28. Employee terminations only for good cause and with access to adjudication of discharge cases.
29. Enforcement of child labor laws among migrant workers.
30. Iowa drug testing laws that permit testing for probable cause only, and that do not diminish the rights of workers.
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31. Ending the exemption from protection of health and safety statutes for agricultural workers.
32. Pension portability.
33. "The rule of 85" regarding Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) benefits.
34. The rights of workers to organize by using the card check recognition for public employees.
35. The idea that in all organized workplaces, all wages, hours, terms and conditions of employment should be mandatory (not permissive) subjects of bargaining.
36. Legislation that reflects the distinction between employees and independent contractors and prohibits employer avoidance of their obligations.
37. A requirement that public entities entering into contracts for buildings and improvements valued at over $2000 should pay prevailing wages to workers.
38. Programs that train inmates for work after their release and or that train welfare recipients for work. Programs must meet prevailing wage requirements and not displace or have adverse impact on employed workers.

We oppose

1. Privatizing public work.
2. Exploitation of prisoners at the expense of the market economy.
3. Use of credit ratings as a means of screening insurance applicants.
4. Utility deregulation.
5. Use of unemployment trust fund money or the interest generated by the fund for anything other than benefits to the unemployed.
6. The continued use of temporary employees in lieu of permanent, full time employees.
7. Corporate welfare.