Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

  • 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

  • 2020 Session Wrap-up

  • Statement on Governor signing Health & Human Services budget

    “Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans worked in lock step to pass a budget rich with perks for special interests and out-of-state corporations rather than putting Iowans first. They supported taking away the civil rights of Iowans; implementing policies that will result in more unplanned pregnancies and abortions; and ignoring the concerns of Medicaid recipients, health care providers and taxpayers who are being harmed by privatized Medicaid.

    “Senate Democrats remain committed to expanding civil rights for Iowans, supporting policies that will result in fewer unplanned pregnancies and abortion, and making Medicaid accountable, affordable and sustainable again.”

    –         – end –

  • 2018 End-of-Session Report

    The Democratic plan for 2018 calls for Putting Iowans First

    • Investing in public schools & preventing more school closures
    • Keeping job training & college affordable for all Iowans
    • Making child care more affordable for working parents & those training for better jobs
    • Raising wages for Iowans
    • Increasing use of renewable energy & fuels
    • Revitalizing rural Iowa with good jobs & a great quality of life
    • Examining tax breaks for big, out-of-state corporations that put the state budget in the red & don’t create Iowa jobs
    • Requiring the Senate GOP to pay for their $1.75 million sexual harassment suit instead of taxpayers
    • Ending privatized Medicaid, especially for our most vulnerable Iowans
    • Keeping health care affordable & accessible for all Iowans
    • Fixing & investing in Iowa’s mental health system
    • Cleaning up the corruption & cronyism in state government


     Gov. Reynolds & Republican lawmakers: Misplaced priorities & mismanagement

    • Instituting the most restrictive abortion ban in the country (SF 359)
    • Slashing investment in skilled worker initiatives (SF 2117, HF 2493)
    • Making record-low investments in public schools (HF 2230)
    • Sending more money to out‐of‐state, for‐profit online schools (SF 475)
    • Raising tuition & reducing opportunities with millions in mid‐year cuts to community colleges & state universities (SF 2117)
    • Allowing unregulated health care plans that can deny people based on pre‐existing conditions (SF 2349)
    • Reducing services at county courthouses with mid‐year cuts (SF 2117)
    • Cutting $4.3 million from an already strapped Department of Human Services (SF 2117)
    • Eliminating protections in current gun ownership laws (HJR 2009)
    • Banning sanctuary cities even though Iowa doesn’t have any (SF 481)
    • Putting Iowans’ safety at risk with lower inspection standards (HF 2297)
    • Cutting energy efficiency programs & discriminating against renewable energy options (SF 2311)
    • Passing a huge tax giveaway that overwhelmingly benefits corporations & the wealthy (SF 2417)
    • Failing to extend funding for school infrastructure & providing more than $100 million in property tax relief with SAVE (HF 2481)
    • Failing to take advantage of industrial help as a promising agricultural commodity (SF 2398)
    • Allowing doctors to give incomplete information to pregnant women (SF 2418)

     

    Several bipartisan bills were approved

    • Requiring ignition interlocks & no temporary license restrictions for OWIs (HF 2338)
    • Ensuring health care coverage for telemedicine services (HF 2305)
    • Expanding mental health services for complex needs (HF 2456)
    • Expanding Move Over law to make the roads safer (HF 2304)
    • Expanding consumer security freezes to protect credit (SF 2177)
    • Expanding Safe Haven laws (SF 360)
    • Helping more veterans by expanding the Veterans Trust Fund (SF 2366)
    • Creating security plans for all Iowa schools (SF 2364)
    • Prohibiting shaming of students who can’t pay for their lunch (HF 2467)
    • Protecting student athletes with new concussion protocols (HF 2442)
    • Requiring suicide prevention training for school employees (SF 2113)
    • Cracking down on electronic forms of identity theft (HF 2199)
    • Licensing for genetic counselors (SF 2228) & autism counselors (SF 192)
    • Enhancing funding for EMS transportation (HF 2285) & 911 HF 2254)
    • Establishing Future Ready plan to train more skilled workers (HF 2458)
    • Expanding work background checks for those with access to personal info (HF 2321, HF 637)
    • Cracking down on electronic eavesdropping (HF 2392)
    • Expanding help through Crime Victims Compensation Fund (SF 2165)
    • Giving schools (HF 2441) & communities (SF 2258) flexibility with certain funding to meet local needs
    • Improving teaching for those with dyslexia (SF 2360)
    • Approving a plan to start combatting Iowa’s opioid crisis (HF 2377)
    • Providing sharing incentives for schools to improve efficiency & save money (HF 633)
    • Protecting the privacy of student data (HF 2354)
    • Taking a first step toward fairer funding for rural schools with high transportation costs (SF 455)

     

    Good news: These GOP bills failed

    • Raising property taxes & reducing local services by ending the state’s property tax backfill for local governments & school districts (SF 2420)
    • Shifting $200 million from public schools to private & home schools through vouchers (SF 2091)
    • Eliminating the Iowa Department of Public Health (HF 2017)
    • Reinstating the death penalty (SF 335)
    • Instituting political discrimination for university faculty (SF 288)
    • Intimidating abortion providers to limit health care choices for women (SF 26)
    • Ending retirement security for public employees, including teachers, fire fighter, & police officers (IPERS, PORS & 411) (SF 45)
    • Defining abortion as murder, even in cases of rape or incest (SF 54)
    • Putting Bible literacy classes in public schools (HF 2031)
    • Removing gender identity protections from Iowa Civil Rights Code (HF 2164)
    • Making Iowa Supreme Court Justices part‐time & paying them like lawmakers (HF 2036)
    • Giving Iowans a “license to discriminate” against fellow citizens who are different from them (SF 2338)
    • Creating new requirements & drug testing for recipients of Medicaid, FIP & SNAP, while limiting food items (SF 2370)
    • Requiring a super‐majority vote for Iowa Supreme Court decisions (SF 2282)
    • Ending state accreditation for community colleges (SF 2272)
    • Extending school bus riding times for K-12 students (SF 2137)

  • Thank you veterans

    Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11. It’s a time to thank all those who served honorably in the military—in war and peace—demonstrating their patriotism, love of country and willingness to sacrifice for all of us.

    The commemoration marks the anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918. Originally, it was proclaimed Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson. In the 1940s, a World War II veteran had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower supported the idea for a National Veterans Day, and it became the official holiday under his presidency in 1954.

    Veterans Day now honors all generations of Americans who served with courage, strength and distinction to defend our freedoms. Please join us in thanking the men and women who have worn the uniform, those currently serving and their families for their sacrifices and dedication to our state and our country.

     

    Vietnam – 50th anniversary gift for veterans

    All Vietnam-era veterans should stop into their county Veterans Affairs Office to pick up a free copy of a special book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

    The hardbound, 175-page book, A Time to Honor: Stories of Service, Duty, and Sacrifice, is for all Vietnam-generation veterans or surviving family. The Iowa edition has its own foreword dedicated to our own Vietnam veterans. The gift includes a 60-minute documentary on DVD, The Journey Home.

    For more information, go to www.vietnam50gift.com.

  • Latest state deficit figures show GOP budget is ‘out of whack’ and hurting Iowa families

    A statement from Senator Joe Bolkcom, ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee:

    “Iowa is not in a recession. Iowa is experiencing slow revenue growth because the policies of Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans are out of whack. Delaying tax refunds for Iowa families and other gimmicks will not solve this budget mess.

    “Republicans must stop showering tens of millions on large tax giveaways to out-of-state corporations.  These tax giveaways now top $500 million annually and are the fastest growing part of the state spending.
    “The really bad news is that Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans are balancing the budget on the backs of working Iowans. Senate Democrats will continue to oppose Republican-sponsored cuts to the services that Iowans depend on.  These cuts threaten public safety, the quality of education, and the safety net for seniors, children and vulnerable Iowans.
    “These cuts to services could have been avoided if Republican legislators and Governor Reynolds had delivered on their promises to increase family income by 25% and create more than 200,000 new jobs in Iowa.
    “So far, working Iowans have seen nothing but broken promises and horrible cuts to state services from Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans.”
    – end –