Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

  • Taxes: Reward work, not wealth

    The tax plan that we are unveiling this morning is just one piece of our overall plan to help Iowans recover from the Reynolds workforce crisis. 

    Iowans are hardworking people who take pride in our work. But fewer Iowans are working today than when Governor Reynolds took office. Because Republicans are driving workers out of our state and are unable to keep Iowans in the workforce, we don’t have enough workers to keep schools, hospitals, and small businesses open. 

    Our plan rewards work, not wealth. We believe that we need to support Iowa workers, who are the backbone of our economy, with lower costs and tax cuts, rather than what Republicans want to do, which is supporting the super-rich and corporations who continue to get richer while working Iowans get left behind.

    Iowa Republicans like Governor Reynolds, Sen. Jack Whitver, Sen. Jake Chapman and others are doubling down on a bad plan with more tax cuts for millionaires and corporations, throwing more gas on the culture wars, and underfunding schools, job training, public safety, child care, and preschool.

    We are calling for a new direction to solve the Reynolds workforce crisis. Let’s make Iowa a better place where folks want to live, work, and raise a family.

    That’s why we are calling for:

    • Boosting basic funding for Iowa’s public schools by $300 million. That’s a better investment in the state’s future than the Republican plan for another $300 million giveaway to corporations.
    • Give middle class Iowans a tax cut, not millionaires and billionaires. 
    • Invest our state surplus into expanding apprenticeships, career training and technical education to help solve the Reynolds Workforce Crisis.
    • Get more parents back into the workforce by making child care affordable throughout Iowa and guaranteeing access to free, universal Pre-K programs. 
    • Renew Iowa’s investment in public safety funding and reform to help keep Iowans safe.

    We believe that we need to support Iowa workers, who are the backbone of our economy, with lower costs and tax cuts, rather than what Republicans want to do, which is supporting the super-rich and corporations who continue to get richer while working Iowans get left behind.

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  • Senator Smith blocks threat to Iowa law enforcement

    From left to right: Colonel Nathan Fulk, Captain Troy Bailey and Major Mark Stine of the Iowa State Patrol at an Iowa Senate subcommittee deciding whether to allow much darker tinted car windows in Iowa.  Iowa law enforcement officers opposed the idea, saying it would make their jobs more dangerous. 
     
    Senator Jackie Smith of Sioux City (right) opposed the idea last year but it still had the votes to get out of the subcommittee.  This year, however, Smith was more successful.  All three members of the subcommittee refused to support the legislation.  To the left of Senator Smith is State Senator Mike Klimesh of Spillville.

    Today State Senator Jackie Smith of Sioux City blocked proposed legislation that would have increased the dangers faced by Iowa law enforcement officers.

    Senate File 332 would have doubled how dark Iowa car windows can be. At Thursday’s subcommittee meeting on the bill, legislators heard testimony from several state troopers and from organizations representing county sheriffs and deputies and local law enforcement officers.

    The law enforcement members all agreed that allowing Iowa car windows to be two times darker than allowed by current Iowa law would increase the dangers they face every day on the job.

    One state trooper at the meeting, Colonel Nathan Fulk, described the threat he faced when approaching an Oklahoma car that had just robbed an Iowa bank. As he approached the car, Fulk was unable to see how many people were inside because Oklahoma allows car windows to be heavily tinted.  Colonel Falk explained that the dangers he faced were significantly increased because he could not see into the car.  Fortunately, the lone criminal in the car was arrested without loss of life.

    When similar legislation was discussed this year, Senator Smith reinforced the concerns expressed by Iowa law enforcement and won over the Republican members of the committee.  Today, the proposal was defeated in the subcommittee by a vote of 3 to 0.

    “Increasing the dangers Iowa law enforcement officers face was a bad idea last year, and it is still a bad idea this year,” Smith said. “I’m glad that the other members of the subcommittee agreed with me this time.  Let’s make sure Iowa law enforcement officers continue to be able to see what’s going on when they approach cars in Iowa.” 

    Link to the proposed legislation, Senate File 332: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=sf332

  • 2022 Opening Day Speech by Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls

            Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, staff, members of the press, members of the public, and everyone watching at home, welcome to the 2022 legislative session.

             Our session should be laser-focused on the Reynolds Workforce Crisis. All of us see and are overwhelmed by the ‘Help Wanted’ signs we see in our districts — the reduced hours, the limited service, and even shuttered businesses. In my district, businesses in towns like Tipton, suburban communities like Coralville, and big cities like Iowa City, are all struggling because of the Reynolds Workforce Crisis. In countless meetings, business and community leaders bring up workforce as not just their top priority, but as priorities one, two, three, four, and five. The good news is that we all agree — Democrats and Republicans alike — that workforce is the most important issue facing our state.      

             Let’s start with the facts: Today, on January 10, 2022, there are fewer Iowans in the workforce than there were a decade ago. At the same time, nationally, there are nearly ten million more Americans who have entered the workforce nationwide. We all know there is a labor shortage in America – but the problem is significantly worse in Iowa. Why is that? As Republican leaders gladly tell us, they have been in full control of our state government since 2017. And Republicans are now promising us more of the same — that hasn’t worked. We’ve been told it will be more of the GOP Greatest Hits this session: more attacks on LGBTQ Iowans, more gasoline on the culture war fire, and more attacks on the first amendment. Just last week, Senate Republicans announced they are banning members of the media from the floor of the Senate chamber – continuing Republican attacks on the First Amendment from last year.

             If Republican proposals worked, talented, younger Americans would be flocking to live and work in Iowa, and our population would be growing across the state. Is this happening? We all know the answer. Governor Reynolds and Iowa Republicans have not made Iowa a place where more people want to live, work, raise a family, or start a business. And now — Republicans want to double down on the same policies that have already brought devastating consequences to Iowa. The facts are clear: Iowa is on the wrong track. And we’re seeing these impacts in our schools, in our health care system, and especially in our rural communities.

             In our schools, just last week, students in Davenport couldn’t get to school because there weren’t enough bus drivers. In Mason City – and in other districts across the state – schools are increasing class sizes because they don’t have enough teachers and substitutes to cover their classes. Every week there is a new story about a school that unexpectedly closed because they didn’t have enough staff.

             The Reynolds Workforce Crisis is contributing directly to the crisis we’re seeing in our public education, which is creating massive uncertainty for Iowa students and parents. Across Iowa, the coronavirus has disrupted learning – both in-person learning and virtual learning – and we know both students and parents have experienced unprecedented, untold stress. Iowa’s education crisis isn’t happening because of critical race theory or books Republicans are trying to ban — it’s happening because of the extreme, anti-public education policies enacted by Governor Reynolds and this Republican legislature that are driving teachers out of Iowa. It’s happening because Iowa Republicans do not value the work of our hardworking public educators. Iowa’s public-school teachers are underpaid, underappreciated, forced to work in unsafe conditions and because of Republican attacks on collective bargaining, they are unable to negotiate over workplace safety. Governor Reynolds turned down $95 million in federal funds to make our schools safer for teachers, staff, and students. Why? This decision is inexplicable. It shouldn’t be a surprise that we are struggling to find enough teachers to teach our kids – Republican policies are driving teachers out of Iowa.

             The Reynolds Workforce Crisis is also severely impacting Iowa’s health care system. Our hospitals and ICUs are filled to the brink with COVID patients, over 80% of whom are unvaccinated. Iowans are still

    getting sick, and Iowans are still dying from COVID. To keep our schools and economy open, and to protect our health care system, we need every Iowan to get fully vaccinated. That’s how we’ll defeat COVID once and for all and finally get back to normal. Until then, we will continue to see too many stories like that of Dale Weeks, a retired superintendent from Seymour, who died of a non-COVID disease that would have been treatable if there had been an open bed for him a major medical center — but there wasn’t. As his daughter told the Des Moines Register quote “It’s infuriating that people who are not vaccinated are clogging it up,” end-quote. Our state failed Dale Weeks, after Dale spent his life serving our state. But COVID is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the crisis in our health care system.

             Because of the Reynolds Workforce Crisis, Iowans are paying more for lower quality health care. The Reynolds Workforce Crisis — and as a recent report demonstrated, the privatization of Medicaid — are both driving up health care costs for all Iowans. And yet, Republicans have no plan to reverse course on Managed Care. Hopefully, Governor Reynolds will include health care workers in her forthcoming workforce plan.

             And as challenging as these struggles are in urban Iowa, we all know that our small town and rural communities are bearing the brunt of this crisis. The numbers speak for themselves. 2020 census data showed that two-thirds of Iowa counties lost population from 2010 to 2020. Rural Iowans are currently dying at a rate twice as fast as Iowans living in urban areas. Too few rural Iowans don’t have access to basic necessities like clean drinking water and reliable Internet access. Thankfully, President Biden and Representative Axne passed the American Rescue Plan and the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, which have allowed our state to invest

    over $500 million in rural broadband. But President Biden’s leadership may not be enough to overcome the Reynolds Workforce Crisis and the Republican policies that are hollowing out rural Iowa.

             Senate Democrats are focused on recruiting more Iowans, younger Iowans, and better-paid Iowans to our state.

    ·      We believe Iowa needs to end the divisive culture wars that pit Iowans against Iowans and instead bring our state together.

    ·        We need to make Iowa an inclusive and welcoming place to get our state growing again.

    ·      We need comprehensive tax reform that closes loopholes and attracts new investment instead of alienating new employers.

    ·      We need to expand apprenticeships, career training, and technical education by investing in our higher education system.

    ·        Fully fund our public schools so our students attend the best public schools in the country instead of trying to privatize and consolidate Iowa schools with a vouchers program that uses public dollars for private schools.

    ·      Stop talking about making childcare more affordable throughout Iowa and pass overdue legislation to fix Iowa’s broken childcare system and guarantee access to free, universal Pre-K programs.

    ·        Invest in more affordable housing and help more Iowans become homeowners and finally fix Iowa’s broken laws affecting Iowans who own and live in manufactured homes.

    Senate Democrats are guided by Iowa values. We believe hard work deserves fair pay, every Iowan deserves to be treated fairly, and we all do better when we all do better. We believe every Iowan wants their family to be happy, safe, healthy, and nearby. That’s what Democrats are fighting for. We need to bring economic opportunity back to every corner of the state – from our big cities to small towns, our suburban communities to our rural farms.

             Democrats are ready and eager to find bipartisan solutions to the problems Iowans face. Let’s stop pouring gasoline on the divisive culture war and focus on getting our state back to work. Let’s work together for our neighbors, our communities, and the future of our great state. Let’s improve the lives of Iowans and get Iowa back on the right track.

             Thank you, Mr. President.

  • The Senate Democratic Plan to Fix the Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis

    Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls: (1/6/22)

    As we prepare for the opening of the 2022 legislative session, it’s time for all elected officials returning to the Iowa Statehouse to focus on the state’s number one problem: the Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis.

    Small businesses are having trouble staying open, maintaining hours, and struggling to hire new employees. Schools are having larger class sizes – or canceling classes altogether – because of teacher shortages and the inability to operate buses. Hospitals are desperate for more staff. All of these problems are a direct consequence of the Kim Reynolds workforce crisis.

    As even Republicans acknowledge, employers in literally every industry are telling us they need help finding more workers. We all see “Help Wanted” signs across Iowa. Help is wanted in our nursing homes and hospitals. Help is wanted on every construction site in all 99 counties. Help is wanted in our schools. We need help ending the Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis, which Governor Reynolds herself admitted earlier this week.

    Unfortunately, the Republican response to the Reynolds Workforce Crisis is to try and distract Iowans by focusing their rhetoric on banning books, putting teachers and librarians behind bars, lying about the 2021 election and taking away Iowans’ freedoms, liberties, and civil rights. But not only does this distract from the Reynolds Workforce Crisis, it only makes the crisis even worse.

    Over the last five years of Republican control, these culture war tactics have made it even more difficult to keep current workers in Iowa or to recruit and attract new workers to Iowa. That’s why there are fewer Iowans in the workforce today than there were a decade ago, while at the same time there are ten million more Americans in the workforce nationwide.

    Republicans can’t solve the Reynolds Workforce Crisis because they created this crisis. We need more Iowans, younger Iowans, and better-paid Iowans. Instead, Republicans want to give millionaires and billionaires just another tax cut. That won’t solve the Reynolds Workforce Crisis – it will make it worse. The Republican plan would result in defunding public education, public safety, and public health.

    Instead, during the 2022 session, Senate Democrats will be focused on putting more money into the pockets of hardworking Iowans and rebuilding Iowa’s reputation as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

    We can get back on track by:

    Ending the divisive culture war that pits Iowans against Iowans.

    Expanding apprenticeships, career training and technical education.

    Fully funding our schools so that students are prepared to succeed.

    Making child care affordable throughout Iowa, and guaranteeing access to free, universal Pre-K programs. 

    Investing in more affordable housing and helping more Iowans become homeowners.

    Legalizing cannabis and regulating cannabis like alcohol.

    Continuing to expand high-speed Internet service to every school, business and family.

    And that’s just the start.  We’ll have more details during the session.

    Finally, I join my colleagues in reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. Last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol occurred with the support of former President Trump and planning by Republican members of Congress.

    Former President Trump was so desperate to hold on to power, he incited a violent mob in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

    One year later, all patriotic Americans should reaffirm our shared commitment to our democratic republic and continue to repudiate the anti-democratic lies used to undermine faith in American elections.

    As President Biden said last year on the day of the attack:  “Democracy beats deep in the heart of America.”

    We will endure, and as said by America’s first Republican president: “This government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

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  • More GOP Corporate Giveaways Will Worsen Workforce Crisis

    (12/13/2021) Statement from Sen. Joe Bolkcom, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Revenue Estimating Conference projections

    “The latest revenue picture kicks the door down for the Legislature to finally do something about Governor Reynolds’ growing workforce crisis. Iowa workers deserve our respect and support. We must do more to put more money in their pockets.

    “Contrary to what the Governor and legislative Republicans are saying, more corporate tax giveaways and tax cuts for Des Moines millionaires will only make their workforce crisis worse, especially in rural Iowa.

    “Thanks to President Biden, Iowa’s fiscal position is stable. The Legislature should move quickly in 2022 to approve:

    • “Tax cuts targeted at middle- and lower-income Iowans and smaller businesses.

    • “Significant investments in job training and apprenticeships; paid family leave; and affordable child care and housing.

    “Republican economic and tax policies have created Iowa’s workforce crisis. Let’s not make it worse. It’s time for new, bold thinking to make our economy work for hardworking, everyday Iowans. ”

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  • The Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis

    Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls, 12/9/21

    The biggest challenge facing the Iowa Legislature’s 2022 session is the Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis.

    In Iowa manufacturing, health care, education, our service industries…everywhere across our state there just aren’t enough workers.

    And yet, too many Iowans are still leaving for better opportunity and better jobs in other states.

    This disconnect should concern everyone.  An economy that doesn’t have enough workers or enough opportunity for hardworking Iowans is fundamentally broken.

    Remember that before the pandemic, local Iowa chambers of commerce were telling legislators that they had three issues: workforce, workforce, and workforce.

    Two years later, the Reynolds Workforce Crisis has only gotten worse. Iowa has more job openings than people without jobs, and there are fewer Iowans working today than nearly a decade ago before Kim Reynolds took office.

    Kim Reynolds’ workforce crisis is negatively impacting virtually every industry in Iowa – especially health care. The Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis is driving up health care costs for all Iowans and making it harder for Iowans to get critical and timely medical care when we need it.

    The Iowa Republican agenda is driving working people, and especially young people, out of Iowa, and is repulsive to businesses and investors who might be looking at starting a new business in Iowa.

    During the 2022 session, Senate Democrats will tackle this issue head on. We have an agenda to solve the Kim Reynolds workforce crisis and fix Iowa’s economy.

     We know how to attract more workers and employers to Iowa.  We will directly respond to the real-world concerns raised by Iowa’s business and community leaders.

    Senate Democrats will focus on:

    • expanding career and technical education, and apprenticeships
    • making child care more available and affordable throughout Iowa
    • expanding broadband
    • fully funding public and higher education
    • increasing Iowa’s affordable housing 
    • and other steps to get Iowa’s economy back on its feet.

    We will press the Reynolds Administration to go beyond toothless commissions and committees and instead take full advantage of the new federal investments in infrastructure, health care, child care, and education in President Biden’s infrastructure and Build Back Better bills.

    Unlike Iowa Republicans, Senate Democrats believe in Iowa’s future, and we have a plan to make it happen.

    Republicans are focused on their latest culture war distraction. They don’t have a plan to solve Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis, so they’re trying to distract folks with new extremist ideas like banning books and jailing teachers and librarians.

    Let me tell you – when current and prospective teachers see headlines like that, it only accelerates the Reynolds Workforce Crisis.

    Iowa business leaders have repeatedly told Statehouse committees that these red meat Republican culture wars cause people and businesses to leave Iowa, and they make people think twice about whether or not they want to relocate to our state. 

    Iowa Republicans refused to listen, and that helped create and accelerate the Reynolds Workforce Crisis.

    We’ve got to set aside the red meat culture wars and focus instead on growing Iowa’s economy, putting more money into the pockets of working Iowans, and rebuilding Iowa’s reputation as a great place to live and raise a family.

    That’s how Senate Democrats will take on Iowa’s number one problem: the Kim Reynolds Workforce Crisis.

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  • Build Back Better: Higher pay for direct care workers, better care for Iowans

    December 2, 2021 News Conference

    I’m Senator Pam Jochum from Dubuque. I want to talk a little bit today, about Build Back Better and investing in Iowa’s direct care workers. It’s one of many ways that Build Back Better will improve Iowa’s healthcare system.

    It’s long past time to show how much they are valued as essential health care workers. As many of you know that I had an adult child, a daughter, Sarah, who had intellectual disabilities I know firsthand how important the direct care workforce is in our state.

    Hiring enough direct care workers has been and continues to be one of Iowa’s biggest health care challenges.

    That’s because all over Iowa, from cities to rural communities we are struggling to hire and retain enough direct care workers to meet the needs of the people who live there. This isn’t a political issue, it’s a statewide healthcare issue. We simply do not have enough skilled workers, and those workers we do have, we are having a hard time retaining them. Iowa’s growing shortage of health care workers has been talked about for years at the statehouse.

    A shortage of workers means that too many adults and children with disabilities lose their independence. Just yesterday a mom called whose son needs 24/7 care. He lives at home and needs direct care workers to come to their home while she works. She cannot find the workers and cannot work. She’s burned through her savings account and maxed out her credit cards. She needs to work.

    This is just simply wrong.

    Build Back Better is going to provide Iowa with an opportunity to finally begin to solve this long-standing problem if we chose to act. It will help us with the critical funding that is needed to improve the skills and the pay of Iowa’s direct care workers.

    I want to thank Congresswoman Cindy Axne for helping to pass Build Back Better in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    I urge all Iowans to press Iowa’s U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst to support BBB in the U.S. Senate.

    Senators Grassley and Ernst need to know that Build Back Better will improve the care of our aging parents in the local nursing home, it will help to maintain the independence of our neighbors and friends with a disability, it will honor the service of our Veterans, with a disability, and it will raise the pay of hardworking direct care workers who are part of the very backbone of our health system and our economy.

    To take a line from “Field of Dreams”—If you pay them, they will come.

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  • UAW Win; Biden/Axne Job Creation

    (Nov 11, 2021 statement by Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls)

    Yesterday’s vote by UAW members reminds us all of the power of solidarity: We all do better when we *all* do better.

    Striking Deere employees earned a hard-fought victory — Iowa Senate Democrats were proud to stand with them in this righteous fight and to join them on the picket line.

    These workers and their families fought and sacrificed not just for themselves but for each other and for future workers.

    We’re at a pivotal moment for our state and our country to fight for a fair economy that works for every family. Not only have working people taken this important stand, President Biden, Representative Cindy Axne and Congressional Democrats worked together to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, and as a result, more than $5 billion is headed towards Iowa – the biggest investment in our state since the New Deal.

    This is our chance to fix substandard roads, repair unsafe bridges, bring broadband access to every community, remove lead pipes to protect drinking water, and so much more.

    In my Senate District alone, which includes Johnson, Cedar, and Muscatine Counties, there are over 68 bridges that are structurally deficient, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

    This investment in our infrastructure means safer communities and more Iowa jobs — good jobs that Iowans can raise a family on. We cannot overstate the impact on Iowa of thousands of good jobs, jobs that pay the prevailing wage instead of the minimum wage, jobs that include decent benefits.

    These NEW jobs will be a SHARP contrast to what Governor Reynolds and Republican legislators have offered working Iowans since they’ve been running things at the Statehouse, which is nothing.

    Despite having total control at the Statehouse, the Governor and Republican legislative leaders have failed to take meaningful steps to:

    • Expand the path to good jobs with better career and technical education and apprenticeships

    • Ensure paid family leave

    • Expand access to affordable housing

    • Make child care more affordable for working families

    The bipartisan infrastructure and jobs act – which was passed overwhelmingly with Democratic votes in the House – is our state’s opportunity to change direction.

    The bottom line is that while Governor Reynolds, Speaker Grassley and Majority Leader Whitver are pointing fingers and playing the blame game, President Biden, Rep. Axne and other Democratic Leaders are actually getting things done for working Iowans.

    -Democrats showed up to support striking John Deere workers, Republicans cowered and stayed silent.

    -Democrats passed a massive investment in rebuilding Iowa’s infrastructure and creating new jobs, Republicans opposed it.

    -Democrats have a plan to fix supply chain issues, lower prices, and get our economy back to normal. Republicans are happy to send angry tweets and press releases, but have no plan to lower prices for middle-class families.

    -Democrats are laser focused on boosting paychecks for hardworking Iowans.

    The Republican Party is weak, corrupt, and has no ideas how to actually solve the problems hardworking Iowans face every day. I look forward to seeing what the President and Rep. Axne will do next to help Iowa build back better!

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  • GOP should join us in maximizing help for Iowa in infrastructure bill

    Statement by Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls:

    Tomorrow, November 11, Veterans Day observances will be held across Iowa in towns small and large. We will come together to recognize American service members who have served our state and our country. We are deeply grateful for their service. Thank you.

    Next, I’d like to talk about why the passage of the bipartisan federal infrastructure deal is such great news for Iowa.

    Thanks to President Biden and Representative Cindy Axne, at least five billion federal dollars will arrive in Iowa over the next five years to help us rebuild the crumbling infrastructure in our state. And Iowa will get even more help in areas where we need it most, specifically with bridges, rural broadband, and water treatment systems.

    For example, Iowa has more bridges needing repair than any other state. President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill will deploy more than $400 million to fix those bridges. Even more help will likely come from competitive grants.

    In addition, Iowa ranks 45th in the nation in terms of broadband connectivity. Iowa Republicans failed to make meaningful investments in rural broadband, but President Biden and Representative Axne got it done, and there is $65 billion in this bill for rural broadband nationwide.

    Finally, many Iowa communities are dealing with aging water treatment systems and lead pipe contamination. There are hundreds of millions of dollars in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal to help address the water problems facing Iowa.

    All in all, the economic boost from this landmark legislation will create Iowa jobs and new Iowa opportunities for our families and communities for years and decades to come.

    That’s why I want to thank Representative Cindy Axne, who was the only one of Iowa’s four U.S. Representatives to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. She was there for Iowans when the chips were down.

    Congressional Democrats accomplished this in less than a year.

    Iowa Republicans have had complete control in Iowa for five years. What have they done?

    So far, the results have been higher prices, stagnant wages, Iowa businesses unable to find workers, and working parents unable to find affordable child care.

    President Biden and Representative Axne have handed Governor Reynolds and Republican leaders an extraordinary opportunity.

    I call on Iowa’s Republican officeholders to set aside party differences and work with all Iowans—especially with Iowa’s local city and county leaders—to make the most of this rare opportunity to move Iowa forward. 

    ###

  • Thank you, Veterans!

    November 11 is Veterans Day, a time to remember all who have served our country in uniform and defended our freedoms, in times of war and peace.

    The commitment of Iowans to serve our country has been strong since the Civil War. That’s why the Legislature has worked in a bipartisan manner to expand benefits for our veterans and servicemembers.

    We’ve acted on many levels to make Iowa a great place for veterans and their families, encourage returning service members to make Iowa their home, and ensure they receive the education, job opportunities and quality of life they deserve.

    Here are some bills passed during the 2021 session to help and honor our veterans and servicemembers:

    • Waived county recorder fees for examining or copying public records needed to complete and file claims for veterans benefits.
    • Streamlined the admission application to the Iowa Veterans Home.
    • Protected personal information provided to the county for a disabled veteran tax credit or a military property tax exemption.
    • Designated U.S. Highway 20 that runs between Sioux City and Dubuque as “Iowa Medal of Honor Highway.” The American Legion of Iowa worked on this project with 11 other states as a tribute to our military. The complete route stretches between Oregon and Massachusetts.
    • Enhanced popular education benefits that help the Iowa National Guard recruit and retain members.
    • Established a National Guard student loan repayment program administered by the College Student Aid Commission.
    • Exempted students enrolled in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) from the requirement to participate in school PE.
    • Expanded the time for a veteran to appeal a hiring or demotion decision based on the veterans preference law.

    State events

    The State will observe Veterans Day at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel at 8 AM on Thursday, November 11. The ceremony will run 45-60 minutes. All Iowans are invited to attend in person or watch via Facebook Live at facebook.com/events/170138704579247. The event also will be recorded for later viewing.

    After the ceremony, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 403 will host a breakfast at the nearby Veterans Reception Center, 910 Main Street in Van Meter.

    In addition, the Marine Corps League will host their traditional Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam War Memorial on the State Capitol grounds at 10 AM that day.

    For more on events and opportunities for Iowa veterans, visit the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Facebook page.

    State resources that honor and celebrate our veterans:

    Background

    First known as Armistice Day, November 11 has been celebrated since World War I. In 1938, Congress declared November 11 a national holiday “dedicated to the cause of world peace.” In 1954, it was renamed Veterans Day.

    Over the years, Veterans Day observances have been held in towns small and large, with tributes to American heroes who demonstrated patriotism, love of country and willingness to sacrifice for the common good. Honoring their service is one small way to repay the debt.

    Learn more about the history of Veterans Day and how it’s celebrated

    Military Families Month

    With hundreds of thousands of service members deployed overseas, our active duty, Guard and Reserve military families make daily sacrifices. Each November, the President signs a proclamation recognizing them. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Military Families Month, which was established in 1996.

    Read the 2021 Presidential Proclamation

    Learn more about Military Families Month