Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

  • Delta surge is result of failed GOP leadership

    Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls:

    “Iowans deserve a fair redistricting process, without interference from politicians, and without partisan amendments.”

    “Iowa’s historic $100 million investment in affordable housing was made possible by President Biden and Rep. Cindy Axne. Thank you!”

    “We are in this dangerous delta surge because of failed leadership from Iowa Republicans. They rejected $95 million to protect our students, have embraced vaccine skepticism, and continue to ignore our responsibilities to each other.”

    COMPLETE REMARKS

    DES MOINES—In today’s weekly press availability, Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls (D-Coralville) delivered the following remarks, as prepared for delivery:

    “It’s been a big news week here in Iowa, and next week may be even bigger. First, on redistricting, I want to reiterate our commitment: Iowans deserve a fair redistricting process, without interference from politicians, and without partisan amendments. Senate Democrats will support a plan that meets those criteria. We stridently oppose any efforts by legislative Republicans and the Governor to attack democracy and rig redistricting in their favor.

    “Additionally, this week we saw Governor Reynolds attempt to take credit for the $100 million investment in Iowa’s affordable housing. Let’s be 100% clear. Governor Reynolds gave a TV interview opposing this bill. Every single Republican in Iowa’s congressional delegation voted against this bill. Iowa’s historic $100 million investment in affordable housing was made possible by President Biden and Representative Cindy Axne and the Democratic Party. Thank you!

    “Next, yesterday, President Biden announced crucial measures that give Iowans a clear choice if they work for a large employer: get vaccinated or participate in weekly testing. And once again, we’re seeing failed leadership from Iowa Republicans. We are in this dangerous delta surge because of failed leadership from Iowa Republicans. They rejected $95 million to protect our students, have embraced vaccine skepticism, and continue to ignore our responsibilities to each other. Governor Reynolds should pick up the phone and call President Biden today to get our $95 million back to Iowa to protect our students. Yesterday, the Gazette reported that most new COVID-19 cases are among children. The Register reported that our hospitals are filling up. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, and it never has been. This is about public health and protecting the lives of Iowans. Other Republican Governors have learned from their mistakes. It’s time for Governor Reynolds to start learning from her mistakes and stop putting her party politics over public health.

    “Finally, to close, tomorrow we will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. I will never forget walking into my elementary school on that crisp autumn morning and watching on the television as our nation was attacked. For my entire generation, our lives changed forever. I will never forget the fear and anger and confusion that I felt — or the sense of unity and pride as we learned the stories of heroism from first responders and everyday Americans on that trying day, from Flight 93 to the Pentagon to Ground Zero.

    Twenty years later, the ideals of this great country endure. Despite the enormous challenges we continue to face today, we know that what makes our country strong is our commitment to each other to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. The same spirit of mutual responsibility and shared destiny that we all felt on the morning of September 11, 2001 is still with us today and is more important than ever.”

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  • What happened to local control in Iowa?

    According to the Iowa Constitution, local governments in Iowa are granted “home rule” powers, unless their policies are inconsistent with state law.

    How have Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans responded?

    Iowa’s Republican trifecta took away the authority of local governments 21 times since gaining power in 2017. They replaced local control with their one-size-fits-all agenda—undermining democracy, local elected officials and the will of local voters.

    Download this PDF

  • Ensure fair representation: Share feedback on redistricting

    Access details for three Iowa Redistricting virtual public input meetings will be available in mid-September at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/meetings/meetingsListComm?groupID=587&ga=89.

    For reminders, RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/861406414766933

    Iowa’s long-standing redistricting process does not allow politicians in power to pick their own districts. It is vitally important that the state keeps the process free of political interference—including partisan amendments—to ensure all Iowans have a voice in their representation.

    With the release of finalized data by the U.S. Census Bureau in August, Iowa’s redistricting process is underway.

    Once the initial redistricting plan is released in mid-September, a special bipartisan advisory commission will hold three online meetings to gather public input on the new maps. Mark your calendars to attend one of the online meetings scheduled for:

    • Monday, September 20: 7 PM to 9:30 PM
    • Tuesday, September 21: Noon to 3 PM
    • Wednesday, September 22: 6 PM to 8:30 PM

    Iowa’s redistricting model is recognized nationwide as the “gold standard” because it doesn’t allow political influence to impact new legislative districts. Since 1980, Iowa’s district lines have been drawn by nonpartisan legislative staff, who follow a strict set of criteria, including:

    • Districts must be established based on population, and the population of all districts should be as equal as practicable.
    • Each Congressional district must be composed of whole counties, and the number of counties and cities divided into more than one legislative district must be as small as possible.
    • Districts must be composed of convenient contiguous territory.
    • Districts must be reasonably compact in form (i.e., square, rectangular or hexagonal; not irregularly shaped, to the extent permitted by natural or political boundaries).

  • Sen Dem Leader appoints Jazmin Newton to redistricting panel

    Iowa Senate News Release
    For Immediate Release:  July 6, 2021

    Senate Democratic Leader appoints Jazmin Newton to redistricting panel

    Newton is an attorney, small business owner, community leader and social advocate.

    Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls today appointed attorney and community leader Jazmin Newton of Davenport to the Temporary Redistricting Advisory Commission.

    The Commission is responsible for conducting hearings to gather input from Iowans about new maps that will be drawn for legislative and Congressional districts later this year, based on updated information from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

     “Jazmin Newton is committed to free and fair elections,” Wahls said. “Iowa has the gold standard for ensuring that Iowans have fair maps for legislative and Congressional districts going into the 2022 elections. We should not allow politicians to undermine Iowa’s nonpartisan, independent system for redistricting.”

    Newton said she is enthusiastic about serving on the Commission.

     “I am committed to ensuring that Iowans have fair maps for legislative and Congressional districts,” Newton said. “The Iowa system is based on a simple principle: Politicians in Des Moines shouldn’t pick their voters. I look forward to serving on the commission and listening to the feedback of Iowans when the new maps are drawn.”

    Newton has been an active member of the Quad Cities community her entire life. She is currently the President of the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council #10, Commissioner for the Bi-State Regional Commission, Commissioner for the Davenport Affirmative Action Commission, a Board Member on the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Q2030.

    She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa, and she graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law.

    Newton replaces Deidre DeJear on the Commission.

    END

  • Iowa Executive Branch launches investigation into Heritage Foundation allegations

    Senate Democratic Leader calls on Sen. Roby Smith to cooperate with investigation

    “The claims made recently by Heritage Action about their role in secretly pushing voter suppression legislation in Iowa and other states are disturbing. The allegations by Heritage Action are that they secretly wrote and lobbied for harmful legislation that Iowa legislators are claiming they authored.

    “Iowa is the first state that we got to work in, and we did it quickly and we did it quietly,” Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action, said during a recent meeting with supporters in Arizona. “We helped draft the bills. … Honestly, nobody even noticed. My team looked at each other, and we’re like, ‘it can’t be that easy.’”

    “It is good news that the Executive Director of the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board has opened an investigation into these allegations. Specifically, Executive Director Mike Marshall has requested that Jessica Anderson provide the Board with any contacts that she or other Heritage Action representatives made in Iowa. Marshall has also asked the office of Gov. Kim Reynolds to search its records for any such interactions, according to the Associated Press.

    “Today, I am calling on Senator Roby Smith, Chair of the Senate’s State Government Committee, to cooperate with the investigation by the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board. If asked, Sen. Smith should turn over any records of contacts with anyone affiliated with Heritage Action, including emails, letters, messaging memos and phone records.

    “Iowans deserve to know the facts about this case and whether any laws or rules have been broken.” 

    end

  • Oversight needed on rejection of federal COVID help

    Legislators request Oversight meeting on Reynolds rejection of $95 million in federal COVID help

    The top Democrats on the Iowa Legislature’s House and Senate Oversight Committees are requesting meetings to review the Reynolds Administration’s handling of Federal COVID relief funds. 

    In a joint letter to the House and Senate Oversight Committee chairs, the top Democrats on each committee, Senator Claire Celsi of West Des Moines and Representative Ruth Ann Gaines of Des Moines, write that they were “flabbergasted to discover that Governor Reynolds sent $95 million in COVID-19 testing funding back to the U.S. Federal Government instead of giving schools the option to use it for COVID-19 testing protocols in their districts.”

    For more information, contact Senator Claire Celsi, 515-554-6754.

    -end-

  • Federal investigation needed at Anamosa, DOC

    Axne, Iowa Lawmakers Request Federal Investigation into Anamosa, DOC

    Des Moines, Iowa — Today US Rep. Cindy Axne, Iowa House Minority Leader Todd Prichard, and Iowa Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls sent a letter to federal officials requesting an independent investigation into last month’s deadly assaults at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, as well as the increasing violence within Iowa’s correctional facilities.

    In the letter to the US Attorney General and US Secretary of Labor, the Iowa lawmakers outlined the ways in which Governor Reynolds and Iowa Department of Corrections have disregarded and dismissed several warning signs leading up to this tragedy. The signs include: rising violence, prison overcrowding, staff reductions and continued budget cuts.  As two inmates attempted to escape the Anamosa State Penitentiary on March 23, they violently killed correctional officer Robert McFarland and nurse Lorena Schulte. 

    Last year, the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (I-OSHA) issued numerous warnings and serious violations to DOC for inadequate communication and prison staffing. One I-OSHA report warned Anamosa employees did not have reliable communication equipment or adequate staff for emergency responses. Instead of fixing the problems identified, the DOC began denying state inspectors access to facilities for fair and independent safety assessments. 

    “Last month’s attack at Anamosa highlights the risks facing our workers if adequate emergency procedures and other measures are not in place to protect them. We owe it to these employees and their families to seek an independent investigation that will uncover all of the facts of this tragic incident and ensure we have clear answers for what went wrong and what can be done to better protect Iowa’s workers,” said Representative Cindy Axne.

    “This terrible tragedy should never have happened. We know the Reynolds Administration ignored the warning signs for years, failed to take action, and even proposed denying additional safety inspections in our correctional facilities. It’s time for an independent investigation that’s completely outside the control of the Reynolds Administration,” said House Minority Leader Todd Prichard.  

    “The Governor’s reaction to last month’s tragic events is yet another example of her failed leadership. How can Iowans expect Republican leaders to keep our state safe if Republicans can’t even keep state workers safe? The Reynolds Administration should have immediately requested an independent, outside investigation. Because she was unwilling to do so, today, we are calling on the Federal government to intervene and take on that responsibility. Iowans need to know the truth about what is happening in our prisons,” said Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls. 

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  • Bipartisan bill cracks down on fertility fraud

    DES MOINES — Working in a bipartisan manner, State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott today supported legislation to crack down on reproductive fraud against Iowa families.

    Trone Garriott of Windsor Heights, a Democrat, worked with Senator Annette Sweeney of Alden, a Republican, to pass Senate File 529, which is known as the “Fraud in Assisted Reproduction Act.”

    WATCH: Video from Senate Debate

    The legislation addresses cases where those seeking fertility assistance are instead victims of fraud, specifically cases where the physician misrepresents the sperm donor’s identity. Through popular DNA testing, individuals in states across the nation have been shocked and horrified to discover that the physician is actually their father. Existing law provided the children born of reproductive fraud with no opportunity to seek criminal or civil action after their discovery. Iowans who have been affected shared their stories at the subcommittee meeting.

    Senator Sweeney, the bill’s floor manager, credited Trone Garriott for working to clarify the legislation to better connect with existing Iowa Code. The legislation classifies this offense as sex abuse in the third degree, which is a level included on the sex offender registry.

    The legislation was approved by the Senate on a 47-0 vote. Key provisions of the bill:

    • Prohibit a person from providing false information to a patient related to assisted reproduction treatment.
    • Prohibit a physician from using human reproductive material for assisted reproduction other than that agreed to in writing by the patient.

    A person who is found guilty of violating the Fraud in Assisted Reproduction Act would be guilty of a Class “C” felony.

    In addition, the legislation ensures that any health care provider or facility may have its license revoked for violating the law; a patient or family member could sue anyone who violates the law for compensatory and punitive damages; and any physicians who use their own human reproductive material in the assisted reproduction procedure would be guilty of sexual abuse in the third degree when the physician uses their own human reproductive material in the assisted reproduction procedure.

    The legislation now moves to the Iowa House.

    — end —

  • DeJear appointed to redistricting panel

    DeJear is small business owner and community activist 

    Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls today appointed small business owner and community leader Deidre DeJear of Des Moines to the Temporary Redistricting Advisory Commission.

    The Commission is responsible for conducting hearings to gather input from Iowans about new maps that will be drawn for legislative and Congressional districts later this year, based on updated information from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

    “Deidre DeJear is committed to free and fair elections,” Wahls said. “Now more than ever, we need to ensure Iowans have fair maps for legislative and Congressional districts going into the 2022 elections. Iowa’s nonpartisan, independent system for redistricting should not be undermined by politicians.”

    DeJear said she is enthusiastic about serving on the Commission because of her passion for voting rights. 

    “It is of the utmost priority that every Iowan has equal access to the ballot box,” DeJear said. “In order to deliver safe and accessible elections to Iowa’s rural, urban, and suburban communities, we must also ensure that the state of Iowa has fair maps for legislative and Congressional districts.”

    DeJear said her passion for voting rights advocacy started when she campaigned for her grandmother who ran successfully for County Commissioner of Elections in Mississippi the 1990s. Ever since, DeJear has championed voting rights and supported national and local candidates in Iowa. 

    DeJear founded Caleo Enterprises in 2008, which specializes in marketing and project development for small businesses and nonprofits.  In 2018, DeJear became the first African American nominated by a major political party for statewide office in Iowa. DeJear graduated from Drake University. 

    For more than 12 years, DeJear has also supported efforts to increase financial management skills for Iowans, and strengthening financial capability and wealth attainment of Iowa’s African American community.  

    This week, Iowa House Democrats named Ian Russell, an attorney from Bettendorf, to serve on the Commission.

    Background 

    After receiving updated figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency will draft a proposed redistricting map and submit it to the Legislature. The Commission will conduct at least three public hearings across the state to gather comments from Iowans on the maps.

    Following the hearings, the Commission  will submit a report to the Legislature summarizing information and testimony received during the hearings. The commission’s report shall include any comments and conclusions which its members deem appropriate on the information and testimony received at the hearings. 

    The report must be submitted within 14 days of the date the first redistricting plan is delivered to the Legislature. 

  • Bipartisan bill would compensate college athletes

    After a similar bill passed Iowa House and Senate subcommittees and the Senate Education committee in 2020, Senators Nate Boulton and Brad Zaun have introduced a new bill to allow student athletes in Iowa to profit from promotional use of their names, images, and likenesses as early as July. The bill, Senate File 245, would allow student athletes to financially gain from marketing opportunities. Unlike the prior proposal, the bill does not include a provision to require money to be placed in a trust until the student athlete is no longer eligible to compete in college athletics. Six states have enacted similar legislation.

    “We have seen an extreme imbalance of power in a rising tide of money that flows all around and through college athletics,” commented Senator Boulton. “The NCAA continues to fail to address this issue, and the result is college athletes surrendering very personal rights that no other college students are required to give up as part of the educational process. We have a duty to protect these students and their interests.”

    Several current and former athletes have worked with Senators Boulton and Zaun on name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation and are offering their support of the bill. Jordan Bohannon, a current starter with the highly-ranked basketball team at the University of Iowa: “I am in full support of this bill. The college years are some of the most valuable years of many college athletes’ lives. We’ve been denied basic rights and protections for far too long. This NIL bill gives us rights that our non-athlete classmates already have. Thank you to Senator Boulton and Senator Zaun for meeting and listening to us.”

    Iowa women’s basketball player Caitlin Clark, a first-year player who has made national news with her on court successes this season: “As a female college athlete, valuable opportunities could come in our college career that may not be given at a professional level, especially with the support of female athletics we have here in the state of Iowa. The NIL bill gives student athletes opportunities non-athlete students already have. I am appreciative of Senator Boulton and all the work he has done to move this bill forward.” 

    Former Drake basketball player Adam Emmenecker, the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, offered support: “Collegiate athletes come from all types of socio-economic backgrounds. Some take student loans. Some qualify for Pell grants. Athletes should be granted the same rights of the university they work for – to utilize their talents, work ethic, drive, love for sport, and success on the court/field to leverage their likeness for personal gain. Athletes carry the majority of the risk. Let them share in a piece of the earned reward.”

    The bill’s cosponsors come to this issue with unique perspectives. Senator Boulton is a practicing labor attorney who taught collegiate sports law classes prior to his election to the Iowa Senate while Senator Zaun had a son who played NCAA Division I football.