The Iowa House Ethics Committee has unanimously dismissed a complaint alleging Republican Representative Dean Fisher of Montour has violated House rules by voting to commit state funding to private schools — and helping start a new school. Fisher backed last year’s law that created state-funded Education Savings Accounts to cover private school tuition and other expenses. He’s board president of the Tama Toledo Christian School that’ll open next year.  House rules say members should abstain from voting on bills that are a conflict of interest due to personal gain, but teachers in the legislature, for example, routinely vote on state spending for schools because the bills have broad benefit to the entire state. All 6 Republicans and Democrats on the ethics committee panel voted to dismiss the complaint.

Zach Tomesch, News Director KFJB