September 30 marks the last chance for Iowans to respond to the census on their own, or for census workers to knock on doors.
The U.S. Census Bureau is committed to counting every person, counting them once and counting them in the right place. However, states with larger rural areas are lagging in response rates and could be disproportionately impacted.
A lot of funding for communities depends on our census count, so let’s help ensure it’s as accurate as possible. Check with folks you know. If they haven’t taken the census yet, send them to 2020census.gov to take the quick survey.
Key Democratic Legislators call for investigations into misuse of federal COVID funds
Key Democratic legislators are calling for investigations into reports that Governor Reynolds diverted nearly $450,000 to pay her staff instead of using the funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.
“At a time when the number of jobless Iowans is through the roof and many Iowa businesses are hurting because of the pandemic, Iowa taxpayers should have confidence that federal COVID relief funds are being used only to help them,” said Sen. Joe Bolkcom, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“Instead of using funds that are desperately needed to provide relief to hard-working Iowans and closed or struggling businesses hurt by the pandemic, the Governor is diverting the relief funding for other purposes. That’s not right.”
A report by Bleeding Heartland uncovered public documents showing that Reynolds directed that $448,449 in funding received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act were used to cover salaries and benefits for staff already working in her office.
The diversion is even more puzzling because the Legislature approved and the Governor signed legislation to appropriate more than $4.6 million to cover the cost of running the Governor’s office – including salaries and benefits – over the past two years.
“We need to find out what the Governor did with the extra money. The intent of the federal aid was not to allow the Governor to set up a slush fund,” Bolkcom said. “We also need to find out if this diversion is continuing.”
For the past six months, none of the documents released to the public and legislators contained any information about this diversion of funds.
“Instead of transparency by the Governor and her staff, they are hiding the ball from Iowa taxpayers,” Bolkcom said.
Democratic Senators called for a three-pronged effort to investigate this misuse of public funds:
First, Senator Claire Celsi of West Des Moines, Ranking Member of the Administration and Regulation Budget Subcommittee, will request that the State Auditor immediately investigate the diversion of funds. The Subcommittee appropriated $2,303,954 for the Governor’s office during Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020) and $2,315,344 for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021).
Second, Senator Tony Bisignano, Ranking Member of the Government Oversight Committee, will request that the Oversight Committee convene to allow Republican and Democratic lawmakers to question the Governor, the Director of the Department of Management and other key officials with knowledge of this diversion.
Third, federal officials in U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) will be contacted to investigate whether paying existing staff is an appropriate use of COVID relief funds.
During a difficult year, Iowans have been asked to do more and they have responded by:
Pouring into communities to help those hit by storms and flooding
Working overtime—often in risky situations—at front-line jobs during the pandemic
Using innovative solutions to continue providing goods and services to their fellow citizens
Adjusting how and where they work to limit potentially dangerous circumstances
This Labor Day, let’s look around and thank those who are working hard in what often feels like thankless times. A special salute and thank goes out to all who have worked during the pandemic and the derecho to help their neighbors, community and state get through the upheaval—the nurses, teachers, utility workers, factory laborers, first responders and other front-line workers.
Under Republican control of state government since 2017, many Iowa workers have faced hard times. Laws that protected them have been watered down or eliminated, making it harder for them to get ahead. This includes overturning laws that brought Iowans better wages, safer working conditions and a stronger economy, and replacing them with policies and tax benefits that favor big businesses and special interests.
Even before the hardships of 2020, Iowa wages had stagnated; worker benefits had been cut; and income inequality was growing. Many families have a much harder time making ends meet than they did a few years ago.
For example, a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows that on average Iowans today must earn $15.46 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the state’s fair market rent rate. That’s more than double Iowa’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The difference is even bigger in several Iowa communities. In Iowa City, for example, workers must earn $19.44 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the local fair market rent rate.
Senate Democrats continue to offer solutions. It’s time to put Iowa workers first by restoring and protecting worker rights, expanding job training and apprenticeship programs, providing paid sick and family medical leave, paying living wages, ensuring equal pay for equal work, and investing in child care.
The best “thank you” we can give hard-working Iowans is real opportunities to get ahead.
Iowa is officially the worst place in the country—and one of the worst places in the world—for spread of the coronavirus.
Six months into the pandemic, when many of us thought we might be in the clear, Iowa is in the thick of it with record-high infection rates and mounting deaths.
In response, the Governor on August 27 closed bars in six counties, including Black Hawk, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story. This is another half-hearted move that is preventing Iowa from getting the coronavirus under control.
Governor Reynolds opened the state too fast, failed to follow the advice of public health experts, and continues to tie the hands of local leaders. Because of unreliable and inconsistent data from the state, we’re in a seemingly endless cycle that is hindering efforts to safely and sustainably open our economy and schools.
To fill the void, organizations are stepping in to share the information they are collecting.
For example, the Iowa State Education Association, in partnership with Iowa Covid-19 Tracker, has released a statewide tracking system for Iowa’s K-12 schools. Parents, teachers and school administrators can report COVID-19 cases, and families and community members can track what’s happening. To report information or see where cases have been confirmed, go to iowacovid19tracker.org/covid-19-in-our-schools.
The Iowa Board of Medicine has also become more vocal in advocating for stronger measures to prevent spread of the coronavirus. In line with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), they’re pushing for masks in public areas and all situations where it’s difficult to maintain distance.
Let’s all do our part:
Wear a mask in public
Keep your distance from others
Wash your hands frequently
Stay home when sick
New regulations and relief for bars
The Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) has published FAQs to answer questions about bar closures in six counties (Black Hawk, Dallas, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story) under the Governor’s August 27 proclamation. The order is in effect through September 20.
Through federal CARES Act funding, grants are available to impacted businesses. Applications will be accepted September 10-24 for one-time $10,000 grants to assist with short-term cash flow. Eligible businesses must be in good standing with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, and the Iowa Department of Revenue.
State Senator Herman Quirmbach News Release: August 27, 2020
“Governor Reynolds’ proclamation today closed bars in six counties, including Story County. Her action is an appropriate response, in part, to the irresponsible mass student parties of the last several weeks.
“However, it is also in part an admission of the failure of her earlier response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reynolds’ refusal to listen to medical experts has contributed to the spread of COVID-19, leading to increasing death and disease and making it harder to restart both Iowa’s economy and Iowa’s schools on a sustainable basis.
“Governor Reynolds opened the state too fast, failed to set a good example, and continues to prevent good decision-making by local authorities.
“I call on Governor Reynolds to step up and meet the challenge of this moment. If we are to avoid further backward steps that will revisit the economic damage of this spring, she must at minimum immediately issue a statewide order for the use of masks in public.
“If she lacks the courage to do so, then she should allow local authorities to make the tough decisions for their own communities and schools.
“The time for half-hearted public relations gestures is over.”
New reports based on information from the Iowa Department of Public Health suggest that current COVID-19 conditions may be worse than we’ve been led to believe. It appears some new cases and deaths have been backdated, making it difficult to know how current circumstances are playing out.
Let’s all continue to practice preventive health measures, including:
Wearing a mask
Keeping distance from others in public places
Washing hands frequently
Staying home when sick
These defenses against the spread of COVID-19 are our best chance of getting life back to normal as soon as possible.
It’s back-to school time, and most parents would love for kids to return to their classroom – when it is safe.
School boards, educators and families continue to deliberate the safest approach with the information available. After all, their health and safety and that of their communities is at stake.
The Iowa State Education Association recommends a three-point checklist for safely reopening schools:
The COVID-19 pandemic is under control in the community.
Protections are in place to protect students and staff.
Plans are in place to ensure continuous learning for all students.
Our neighbors to the north are taking these steps and more, showing us a safe way to ease children back into classrooms.
Minnesota is ensuring high-quality remote education until it is safe for students and educators to return to school. The Minnesota plan:
Requires schools that reopen to meet safety thresholds, including masks for students and teachers, social distancing, cleaning and protective equipment—and provides state support to cover the costs.
Requires schools that reopen to meet safety thresholds, including masks for students and teachers, social distancing, cleaning and protective equipment—and provides state support to cover the costs.
Requires schools that reopen to meet safety thresholds, including masks for students and teachers, social distancing, cleaning and protective equipment—and provides state support to cover the costs.
No amount of seat time in a classroom will make up for jeopardizing the health of our kids. Let’s put their safety first as we continue to assess our return-to-learn plans.
Voting is our country’s most fundamental mode of civic participation.
This week, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote—the 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920—and with it, the ongoing march toward full equality and citizenship for all Americans.
One-hundred years later, we have another voting rights victory to celebrate: Iowa will no longer automatically institute a lifetime ban on voting for all Iowans convicted of any felony. Iowa is the last state in the country to take this step.
Earlier this month, Governor Reynolds issued Executive Order 7, restoring the right to vote and hold public office for thousands of Iowans who have completed their felony sentences. The Governor has also vowed to continue pushing for a constitutional amendment, which is only way to ensure the right to vote remains permanent.
A constitutional amendment has been delayed time and again by Iowa Senate Republicans who have failed to support efforts to restore voting rights, even after their counterparts in the Iowa House secured a 95-2 vote in favor of this key bipartisan priority.
With the General Election quickly approaching, an executive order is the best way to make heard the voices of more citizens in our communities.
The NAACP has been active for decades in pushing for voting rights because racial disparities in our criminal justice system disproportionately impact African Americans and other people of color. To ensure the Governor’s executive order allows all eligible Iowans to vote in November’s election, the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP is calling for additional steps.
The organization has asked Iowa the Secretary of State to immediately update voting and elections information on his website, on voter registration forms and in the state’s Voter Ready Toolkit. It’s important for all materials to accurately reflect that most people with a felony record are now eligible to register to vote and cast a ballot, and to provide the information they need to do so.
Prepare to vote by mail
If you haven’t already requested your vote-by-mail ballot for the November election, now is the time. More and more Iowans are voting by mail because it’s safe, quick and convenient.
Statement by Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen August 5, 2020
“With the General Election less than 100 days away and in the absence of leadership by Senate Republicans, an executive order was the best way to give a second chance to many Iowans who lost their voting rights when they went to prison.
“However, this is a temporary solution. A permanent solution was blocked by Senate Republicans, who failed to amend the Iowa Constitution to allow more Iowans to vote. Sen. Brad Zaun, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, waited until the 11th hour of the 2020 session to finally get it through the Judiciary Committee but there was no effort to bring it to a vote by the full Senate.
“Like most Iowans, we cheered last year when the Iowa House – on a 95-2 vote – approved a key, bipartisan priority: restoring voting rights of felons. We agreed with the Governor when she said the bipartisan vote in the Iowa House was ‘a victory for Iowans who deserve a second chance.’
“There’s no excuse for Senator Zaun and Senate Republicans dropping the ball on this.”
Statement by Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen, 8/5/20
“Governor Reynolds is abusing the power of her office.
“Nowhere in Senate File 2310 does it state that Iowa students, teachers and staff will be required to work and learn in unsafe buildings. In fact, the goal of the legislation was to give school districts more flexibility in online learning, not less.
“No matter how Governor Reynolds tries to spin it to her advantage, the bill does not dictate the percentage of time Iowans need to spend in buildings. She cooked up that unsafe and unrealistic number herself.
“I refuse to stand behind Governor Reynolds as she attacks local school board members with threats to yank their local school funding and educational licensure for voting on plans that put the health and safety of students and staff first.
“I am grateful to school board members, teachers, parents, and students who have stood up to Governor Reynolds’ attempt at a hostile takeover of local control of our public schools.
