Remarks as Delivered

Thank you, Madam President. 

Good morning, Madam President, good morning senators, staff, members of the press, and, of course, fellow Iowans: Welcome back to our Iowa Capitol and welcome to the 2024 Legislative Session. 

Before I begin, I too also want to offer my deepest condolences to the community of Perry, the family of Ahmir Jolliff, and all the families whose lives will never be the same after the tragedy at Perry High School. There is no pain like the pain of losing a child. 

In our grief, though, we must also ask tough questions and acknowledge hard truths. How do we tame violence in our country – violence that touched East High School here in Des Moines less than two years ago and now Perry? The truth is, we must address gun safety. We must find a solution to gun violence. 

No child – no child – should go to school fearing for their lives, but today, millions do. Gun safety should not be a partisan issue. Protecting kids should not be a partisan issue. It’s time for us, senators, to come together with real solutions, including increased support for our public schools and a meaningful investment in youth brain health services.

We’re convening here from every corner of Iowa, and bringing with us the priorities and perspectives of the Iowans and the communities we represent. 

Our duty over the next few months is to shape those perspectives into law that improve Iowans’ lives and make our state an even better place to live. To do it right, we must lead with our shared values and always remember who we’re working for. 

I know who I’m working for: I see them up and down Jackson Street in Dubuque when I’m out gardening or getting the mail. I see them catching the bus for work in the morning, and coming at night home bone-tired. My neighbors on Jackson Street often stop and tell me how they’re doing – and how $13 bucks an hour just doesn’t go far enough anymore. They talk about how hard it is to find childcare in their community and, of course, they’re also concerned about Iowa schools and access to healthcare. 

That’s what I hear about in my neighborhood, and it’s what I hear all across the state, too. As the Senate Democratic leader, I’ve put 16,000 miles on my little Chevy over the last few months. I’ve been from Villisca to La Motte to Fort Madison and beyond, meeting with Iowans and listening – listening – to their needs and concerns. 

Whether it’s been on the sidewalks in Dubuque or in the union hall in Keokuk or the library in Osage, Iowans are all saying the same thing: they’re fed up with culture wars and special interest giveaways. They’re tired of small and mean politics that divide us and deny us our rights. They’re worried about the future – for themselves and for their children.

Iowans want a better deal from their state government, and that’s exactly what Senate Democrats are fighting for in 2024.

Today, on the opening day of the ’24 legislative session, Senate Democrats pledge to the people of Iowa to lead with our shared values. We pledge to advance an agenda that lifts all of us up together. 

And we’re challenging the governor and our colleagues across the aisle to join us in that effort. 

For every item that comes across our desks this session, we’re going to ask three questions:

• Does it create more opportunity for Iowans?
• Does it ensure freedom for Iowans?
• Does it provide more accountability for Iowans?

If the answer is yes, Senate Democrats are ready to work with Republican colleagues to get it done. If the answer is no, we’re gonna fight like heck against it, and let the people of Iowa know why. 

In 2024, Senate Democrats are committed to expanding and ensuring opportunity for every family, every child, and every worker in our state.

Every family in every community deserves a fair shot at success, comfort, and opportunity to get ahead. That’s the Iowa we’re fighting for, and that’s what you’ll see reflected in the legislation that we support this year.

Every child should have access to a high-quality public education that prepares them for the life they want. That means adequate funding for our public schools, defending our Area Education Agencies against cuts to essential services for our children with special needs, and resisting the voucher law that favors the few over the many. 

Every worker deserves a chance to earn a paycheck that supports their family and respects their work. Costs are simply too high – especially for essentials like housing and childcare – and Iowans are looking to us for solutions. 

We have an opportunity to make life more affordable for Iowa families; to strengthen our public education while supporting students, teachers, parents and to protect and increase workers’ rights. We just need the will of a majority of senators in this chamber. 

In 2024, Senate Democrats will fight for the freedom of all Iowans to make their own choices and live their own lives without undue interference from their government. Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain. Iowans believe in our state motto, and Senate Democrats do, too.

We know that a strong majority of Iowans support safe, legal access to reproductive health, including abortion. Extreme bans like the one the Republican majority forced into law last year attack fundamental freedoms and endanger the health of Iowans. Senate Democrats have a plan to write reproductive freedom into our state constitution and expand access to birth control. We hope Republicans will listen to the majority of Iowans and join us in that effort. 

In 2024, Senate Democrats are going to stand up for the people of Iowa and make sure that politicians, government, and big business are held accountable to their needs.

Our state government belongs to the people. Our ancestors created this beautiful building as a monument to democracy. This capitol is not built for those of us on the inside of it – it was built for those on the outside of it. This government should work for middle-class and working Iowans – not self-serving politicians, influential interest groups, and out-of-state corporations. Senate Democrats will hold politicians accountable when they put donors and special interests ahead of regular folks. We will enforce checks and balances and resist efforts to silence the voices of Iowans in the operation of their government. We will fight back against corporate power and greed that comes at the expense of working Iowans.

We’ve heard a lot of talk about changes to the tax code – including potentially even eliminating the income tax altogether. Well, we’ve seen a lot of changes in the tax code already, and unfortunately, almost all of them have been giveaways to big corporations and the very wealthy. 

Our bottom line: we need middle-class tax relief that reaches Iowa families in Iowa communities – not more handouts and free passes for the wealthy and the powerful. And any tax cuts must be smart and sustainable and maintain our essential investments in the people of Iowa. 

Opportunity, freedom and accountability. That’s what Senate Democrats stand for, and that’s what we expect to see on our agenda in 2024. 

To my Republican colleagues, I sincerely look forward to working with you on that agenda. I’m proud of the relationships I’ve built across the aisle, and the compromises and progress that we have been able to make over the years. Together, we can govern in the best interest of every single Iowan. 

But let me end with this: if the majority chooses instead to go down the path of endless culture war, political grandstanding, and narrow special interest – we will hold you accountable – and so will the people of Iowa. The people of Iowa want a better deal. 

Thank you, Madam President.

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Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Izaah Knox on Wednesday released the following statement on the need for cooperation to find solutions to food insecurity in Iowa. 

“I do not like that Iowa is not participating in the USDA’s 2024 Summer EBT program,” Sen. Izaah Knox, D-Des Moines, said. “Nevertheless, I agree that we must address Iowa’s food insecurity pandemic with adequate and sustainable solutions. I am glad that the Governor and her administration desire to address this issue, which impacts 1 in 13 Iowans, including nearly 69,000 children.” 

“As a professional in this space, I know that to solve complex problems like food insecurity, we must collaborate among all stakeholders, including those in need, community-based organizations doing the work, and those with resources,” Knox said. “Now is the time to take action to ensure every Iowa family who needs food gets it.”

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Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott released the following statement in response to the news that Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration will reject the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2024 Summer EBT program, which provides food aid for hungry kids. 

“We are in a food insecurity crisis, with record numbers of Iowans seeking help from food pantries. It is shocking that in a time of great need our Governor would refuse millions of federal dollars that would go directly to feed hundreds of thousands of Iowa Children,” Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said. “Governor Reynolds knows this is a shameful decision that will hurt struggling Iowa families – that’s why she announced it with a cowardly press release full of excuses on the Friday before Christmas.”

“Iowans believe in opportunity for every Iowa kid – including healthy meals during summer breaks,” Trone Garriott said. “There’s still time for the state to reverse course, and I encourage Iowans to tell the governor to do the right thing.”

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Iowa Senate Democrats on Thursday called on the Senate Oversight Committee to conduct a bipartisan investigation into Iowa’s nursing home crisis.

Sen. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines and the ranking member on the oversight committee, formally requested the investigation in a Dec. 14 letter to committee Chairwoman Amy Sinclair.

“Iowans want and deserve full accountability and transparency from Legislators and Governor Reynolds,” Celsi wrote in the letter. “As Ranking Member of the Senate Oversight Committee, I hereby request an official meeting of the committee so we can publicly discuss the nursing home crisis, investigate its causes, and find solutions that address the problems. This is a matter of life and death for impacted Iowans.”

According to federal data, Iowa is responsible for 3 percent of the nation’s nursing facility citations, and 4.1 percent of the nation’s immediate jeopardy and life-threatening situations — despite accounting for just 1 percent of the nation’s 65+ population. On a per capita basis, Iowa is one of the worst states in the nation for nursing home care.

The scale, scope and tragic consequences of the breakdown in Iowa’s current long-term care system has been detailed in numerous press reports and confirmed by advocates and experts over the past year. Now, it’s up to the Legislature to do something about it. 

Celsi delivered her request to Sinclair’s office on Thursday. 

“There’s nothing partisan about accountability for nursing home operators or the wellbeing of elderly Iowans,” Celsi said. “Democrats and Republicans must come together now to investigate our nursing home crisis and collaborate on solutions that protect vulnerable Iowans in every Iowa community.” 

“The evidence is undeniable: we need reform that ensures accountability for bad actors while ensuring success for high-quality facilities,” Celsi said. “Iowa seniors deserve nothing less.”

What Advocates are Saying

“I’ve been paying attention to elder care issues in Iowa since before I was elected to the Senate. What we need now is accountability and adequate staffing – not excuses and studies. Older Iowans cared for us, raised us, and built our communities. And all of us, sooner or later, will be older Iowans, too. Iowans are not receiving the care they need in our state, and legislators have a responsibility to act.”

– Iowa state Sen. Senator Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, and member of the Iowa Commission on Aging.

“Stories of neglect and abuse of residents in Iowa nursing homes have been written for several decades. Tragically, the stories being written today are worse than ever – stories of resident death, sexual assault, and total failure of too many facilities to deal humanely with vulnerable older Iowans. The outrage in Iowa is growing, and elected leaders at the Iowa Capitol need to respond by expressing genuine concern, asking important questions, and taking long overdue action.” 

– John Hale, Iowa senior advocate

“As the former Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals responsible for overseeing the inspections of nursing homes, it is shocking that Iowa now ranks 49th among states in nursing home inspectors, and that the state has resorted to using extraordinarily costly private contractors to address its self-created problem. Timely surveys of this mostly for-profit industry lag behind, and, worse yet, serious resident complaints have gone and continue to go unanswered. The health, safety, and welfare of Iowa’s vulnerable seniors has been put at risk.  It’s past time for a change!” 

– Dean Lerner, Iowa senior advocate

“As a former long-term care facility surveyor, I find it appalling that oversight for the health and safety of facility residents is so lackadaisical. Elderly Iowans deserve respect, dignity, and care. Becoming old does not make an individual a second-class citizen.” 

– Mary Weaver, former nursing home inspector

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“As we face declining state revenues, it’s troubling to hear that Governor Reynolds and statehouse Republicans are concocting yet another round of multi-million dollar, multi-year tax giveaways for special interests and wealthy Iowans.” Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said. 

“Iowans deserve a better deal in the upcoming session with more sunshine and accountability on our state budget,” Petersen said. “That starts by bringing back public budget hearings, creating more opportunities for our middle class to get ahead, and fewer giveaways of public dollars to private interests.”

Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Janice Weiner released the following statement regarding the Iowa Board of Medicine’s meeting Friday, in which proposed rules concerning Iowa’s 6-week abortion ban were introduced and considered. 

“The vague and unworkable rules considered today by the Board of Medicine are just the latest evidence of how dangerous and unjust Iowa Republicans’ six-week abortion ban is for Iowans,” Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, said. “There is simply no way to enact a six-week abortion ban without threatening Iowa doctors and hurting Iowans.”

“These rules would require doctors to interrogate their patients, retraumatizing women who have already undergone an incredibly traumatic experience,” Weiner said. “A doctor’s job is to provide the highest standard of care – not to act like an investigator or think like a prosecutor.”

“These rules also fail to clarify the discipline a doctor would face under Republicans’ extreme six-week ban,” Weiner said. “Without meaningful guidance, the existential fear of license revocation will prevent doctors from providing necessary care to victims of rape or incest.”

“These rules put both doctors and patients in an untenable situation,” Weiner said. “As we heard from the medical professionals today, we need to let doctors do their jobs and keep the politics out of the exam room.”

Sen. Weiner serves on the Senate State Government Committee. 

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Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott released the following statement regarding the Iowa Attorney General’s brief, filed today, in Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds, the latest lawsuit challenging extreme bans on reproductive freedom in Iowa. 

“Today’s legal filing and statements from the governor and attorney general show once again how out of touch extreme, anti-choice politicians are with the will of Iowa voters,” Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said.

“A substantial majority of Iowans support safe, legal access to abortion and reject attacks on reproductive freedom in Iowa – and so do Senate Democrats,” Trone Garriott said.

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Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Janet Petersen released the following statement regarding the state’s settlement with the surviving children of the Sabrina Ray foster care abuse case. 

“My heart goes out to the surviving children and to those who tried to protect them by sounding the alarms,” Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said. “I hope the settlement announced today provides some of the support they need to find a bit of peace and hope.”

“The settlement calls for the creation of a task force,” Petersen said. “I am hopeful Governor Reynolds gives its members full fact-finding access, the authority to shed light on the dangers with Iowa’s current child protective system, and the power to fix it. 

“Keeping Iowa’s children safe should be our No. 1 priority,” Petersen said. “We don’t need another example of the fox guarding the hen house. Our kids need Iowans and the media to stay engaged in this process to help this task force succeed in its mission of making Iowa a safer place for our children.”

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Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Claire Celsi released the following statement on the need for bipartisan cooperation to solve the severe staff shortage and long-term care crisis facing Iowa. 

“Iowa’s nursing homes are experiencing an unprecedented crisis, precipitated by catastrophic and disastrous staffing shortages,” Sen. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines, said. “Without action, long-term care facilities will continue to shut down, and elderly Iowans will continue to suffer and die due to inadequate care.”  

“I appreciate that Gov. Reynolds recognizes the severity of this crisis, and I invite her to set aside partisanship and come together to find solutions – including on the critical issue of staffing,” Celsi said. “Our elders are in harm’s way, and it’s up to all of us to work together to ensure the safety and dignity they deserve.” 

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