Completed Reports

The following reports have been researched by University of Iowa students in order to inform and assist the Iowa State Legislature in debating current and upcoming legislation. If you are a legislator and would like to request a report on a specific topic please visit the Our Services page.

Reports are viewable as .pdf files using standard Adobe products. They are organized by topic heading and the notes should give a general idea of the report content. Note that all research is only as current as its publication.

Note that because of our organizations name change in 2008 all reports from 2006 and 2007 will reference our previous title: I-CAN (Iowa Civic Analysis Network).

Sort Reports: Alphabetical, By Year, By Topic

Alphabetical Listing of Reports:

Absentee and Early Voting: 2008, 3 pgs. Comparison of state policies regarding absentee and early voting, including differences between In-Person Early Voting and By-Mail Absentee Voting and whether individual excuses are required.

Adopted Persons' Access to Adoption Records: 2009, 3 pgs. Comparison of state laws addressing access to adoption records and the systems states commonly use to aid adopted persons and birth parents in locating and contacting each other.

Automated Enforcement of Red Light Running : 2007, 5 pgs. Federal, state, and local action regarding the use of red light cameras is examined. Also reports on the effectiveness of these systems.

Automated External Defibrillators in Health Clubs: 2009, 5pgs. Reviews state laws requiring health clubs to have defibrillators on site and examines issues raised with the implementation of these laws.

Beyond 911: 2009, 2 pgs. Examines legislation that expands the capabilities of the 911 emergency number service for cell phones. Specifically addresses the Enhanced and Next Generation 911 initiatives.

Big Box Stores : 2007, 5 pgs. Reports on recent efforts in some states to regulate large, 'Big Box', stores. Details the type of impact studies some states require before construction of such stores.

Block Scheduling: 2008, 2 pgs. Lists some of the common types of block scheduling in secondary schools and summarizes the reported advantages and disadvantages of block scheduling.

Brain Drain: 2006, 5 pgs. Comments on human migration by age group and education level, focusing on Iowa's high loss of young, education adults.

Brain Drain Incentives : 2007, 3 pgs. Brief, non-scientific survey of state initiatives to counteract brain drain of high school graduates.

Bullying Legislation: 2006, 3 pgs. Trends in Federal and Iowan legislation and law related to school bullying. Compares various states with anti-bullying legislation.

Caps on Incentive Programs: 2009, 6 pgs. Examines the caps placed on incentive programs in Iowa and surrounding states. Tax credits are the primary focus of the report, although other incentive programs are also discussed. Three areas of incentives are reviewed: biofuel production, historical preservation, and research activities.

Cell Phone Use While Driving: 2006, 3 pgs. Examines the effects of cell phone use on drivers and various state laws regulating cell phone use.

Child Support Modification: 2009; 3 pgs. Presents and compares the modification procedures used to change child support orders in the Iowa and bordering states.

Cigarette Tax: 2006, 5 pgs. Compares country wide average cigarette tax rates to Iowa's. Comments on revenue considerations, tax fairness issues, and border purchasing. (Pre-2007 Tax Increase).

College Textbook Cost: 2008, 7 pgs. Examines general trends leading to a rise in textbook prices. Overviews recent state and federal regulation on the topic.

Credit Cards on College Campuses : 2007, 7 pgs. Describes prevalence of credit cards on college campuses. Examines solicitation policies of the three public Iowa universities.

Cyberbullying: 2009, 5 pgs. Examines trends in cyberbullying laws and expands on a 2007 IPRO report that presented bullying legislation in general. These laws require school districts to adopt cyberbullying policies or grant authority to school districts to discipline cyberbullying.

Direct Shipping of Wine : 2007, 4 pgs. Examines restrictions on the direct shipping of wine. Federal and state regulations are examined. A summary table of all 50 states' laws is provided.

Distillers Dried Grains : 2007, 4 pgs. Provides an overview of Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) and discusses the use of DDGS in feeding livestock, including the nutritional value and economic benefit for different animals.

Divestment from Sudan: 2006, 5 pgs. Explains current interest in divesting from the Republic of Sudan. Funds researched: State Treasury, Public University Endowments, and IPERS. Provides list of multinational corporations doing business in Sudan.

Education Benefits for Veterans : 2007, 7 pgs. Federal and State level programs are examined. A comparitive table of 50 states' programs is provided.

Eminent Domain: 2006, 5 pgs. Overviews Iowa and U.S. eminent domain legislation. Examines court rulings in Ohio and Oklahoma. Brief case studies for Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Colorado.

Energy Codes and Ensuring Efficient New Home Construction: 2009; 3 pgs. Presents and compares state efforts to improve energy efficiency standards for new home construction.

Energy Efficiency Programs and Provider Oversight: 2008, 4 pgs. Explains the energy effienciency program requirements for Iowa utilities. Short explanations of common programs are given.

Expanding the Number of Rural Physicians: 2008, 3 pgs. Lists ways states and medical programs have tried to expand health care service in rural areas. Focuses on programs that attract more physicians to rural areas.

Film Production Tax Breaks: 2006, 3 pgs. Comments on incentives used to attract film production groups to work in a given state. Notes some important variations. Overviews Iowa's pending legislation on the issue.

Golf Course Tax Breaks: 2006, 2 pgs. Brief overview of golf course zoning and assessment methods.

High School Course Offerings: 2008, 30 pgs. with appendix; 4 pgs without. Original research into high school curriculums in Iowa. A random sampling of public, private, rural, urban, small, and large schools in Iowa are examined. Upper-level courses are broken into subject areas; enrollment is given where available.

High School Life-Skills Courses : 2007, 3 pgs. Compares life-skills curriculum requirements to graduate from high school in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Homeschooling : 2007, 5 pgs. Informs on the number of homeschoolers in the U.S. and current growth trends. Examines how states regulate homeschooling. Iowa and four other states are case studied.

Incentives and Laws for E85 Use : 2007, 5 pgs. Reports on prevalence of gas stations stocked with E85 fuel. Overviews state level incentive programs designed to promote E85 use.

Internet in Public Libraries : 2007, 4 pgs. Looks at availibility and quality of the internet in public libraries. Iowa statistics are compared to other states and national data.

Jet Ski Legislation: 2006, 3 pgs. Brief overview of issues surrounding jet ski legislation including safety issues, inter-state standardization, and environmental concerns.

Lead Wheel Weights: 2009, 3 pgs. Examines recent efforts to regulate or ban the use of lead wheel weights on vehicle wheels.

Marketing SCHIP: 2008, 3 pgs. Examines the marketing strategies for state children's health insurance programs (SCHIP) in Iowa, Kentucky, and Colorado. Includes original interviews and suggestions with the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Mental Health: 2006, 7 pgs. Funding and quality analysis of Iowa's decentralized mental health care system. Graphically displays national spending comparison.

Motorcycle Helmets: 2006, 4 pgs. Current (2006) state of helmet laws in the country. Compliance over time and death rate reductions due to existing laws.

Oil Filter Recycling : 2007, 4 pgs. Examines used oil filter recycling. Overviews environmental impact, EPA regulations, Iowa law, and various state recycling incentive programs.

Open Burning Laws : 2007, 5 pgs. This report provides an overview of the impact of open burning on human health and the environment.  It also compares Iowa’s open-burning law to its neighboring states and discusses how these laws are enforced.

Open Government: Enforcement : 2007, 7 pgs. Presents an overview of Iowa's public meeting and record laws including consequences of violating the laws. Examines enforcement procedures in several other states and compares each states penalties for violating the laws.

Pandemic Influenza Response Plans: 2009, 3 pgs. Examines the roles of government, institutions, and individuals in responding to a pandemic influenza outbreak. Also summarizes the key components of state-level pandemic influenza response plans.

Predatory Lending: 2006, 5 pgs. Overview of three types of 'predatory' lending: Car Title, Payday, and Refund Anticipation. Characterizes the groups most affected, and summarizes pending legislation in the U.S.

Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities: 2008, 5 pgs. Explains what PRTF's are and compares Iowa's facilities and programs with those in six other states. The states were chosen because they share broadly similar demographic, economic, and social characteristics with Iowa.

Road Funding: 2006, 8 pgs. Breaks down by percentage where states get money for road funds: Fuel Taxes, Vehicle Registration Fees, Bonds, Other Taxes/Tolls.

Sale Barns Survey: 2008, 2 pgs. The results of informal phone surveys of Iowa livestock auction houses/sale barns focused on the economic impact of the 2008 summer flooding.

Sales Tax for Clothing: 2006, 3 pgs. Relates prevalence of temporary and permanent tax free periods for clothing items in the U.S.

Same Sex Relationships: 2008, 2 pgs. A summary of current same sex relationship legislation by state.

Seat Belts in School Buses : 2007, 5 pgs. Examines effectiveness of installing seat belts in school buses. Safety statistics, federal law, state law, and cost estimates are presented.

Sex Offender Residency Restrictions : 2007, 5 pgs. Summarizes the current residency restrictions for sexual offenders in the U.S. with an emphasis on Iowa. The effectiveness of and alternative proposals to these laws are examined.

Small Motor Pollution : 2007, 3 pgs. Short overview of pollution caused by small engines such as weed and lawn equipment followed by an explanation of federal prohibits on state regulation of such engines.

State Corporate Income Tax: 2008, 4 pgs. Presents state corporate income tax rates over time, the self-reported effect corporate income taxes have on businesses, and alternatives to the current corporate income tax system.

State Gas Tax: 2008, 4 pgs. Shows state gasoline tax rates for 2008, and compares these with the rates from 2000. The report concludes with a summary of the current arguments for and against raising state gasoline tax rates.

Subsidized Guardianship: 2009, 5 pgs. Presents a summary of state subsidized guardianship programs and the differences between their requirements.

Township Governments in Iowa: 2006, 3 pgs. Explains townships, their functions, and the controversy surrounding them. Compiles data from nearby states for comparison.

Tribal Courts and Jurisdiction: 2006, 5 pgs. Reviews Federal Code, Iowa Law, and Supreme Court cases involving Tribal Law and Jurisdiction.

Tuition for University Employees and Dependents : 2007, 3 pgs. Examines tuition breaks and maximum credit hours per semester for full-time university employees, their spouses, and their children.

University Tuition Reciprocity : 2007, 3 pgs. Reports on higher education tuition reciprocity agreements between states, counties, and schools. Summary of the three most expansive programs is provided.

Vaccine Enforcement and Exemptions: 2009, 4 pgs. Examines the procedures states use to enforce their immunization laws and other laws allowing exemptions from these requirements. Research focuses on Iowa and its six contiguous states (Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin).

Voting Rights for Minors: 2006, 2 pgs. Brief comments on voting rights for those under 18 and how other states approach the subject.

Wind Power: 2006, 4 pgs. Reports on explosive growth in wind power production. Compares several states that employ incentives (including Iowa) to encourage construction of wind power plants.

Year-Round Schooling: 2008, 4 pgs. Explains common schedules for year-round schooling. Lists arguments from proponents and opponents to year-round schooling. Presents statistics on the prevalence of year round schooling.

Youth Voter Registration: 2009, 3 pgs. Examines state laws that allow citizens to register to vote before reaching the age of 18.

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