Iowa Senate Democrats

Tag: coronavirus

  • Iowans need supplemental food assistance

    Joint Release from State Senator Rob Hogg
    and other Iowa Democratic State Senators*

    A group of Iowa Senate Democrats are calling on the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Reynolds to pass immediate assistance for food and other basic needs as early as possible in the 2021 legislative session.

    “Emergency authorization of Rainy-Day funds for supplemental food assistance will help combat food insecurity, which has tripled for Iowa families with children since the start of the pandemic,” said Senator Zach Wahls, Senate Democratic Leader. “This is more than a rainy day—it’s a thunderstorm.”

    The proposal calls for a multi-million-dollar investment in supplemental food assistance.

    The state finished the 2020 fiscal year with an ending balance of more than $305 million and rainy-day funds of more than $770 million.

    “Supplemental food assistance is needed now because of increased demand due to the coronavirus public health emergency and its resulting economic disruption, the derecho, and other longer-term economic forces that have hampered many Iowans’ ability to meet basic needs,” said Senator Rob Hogg (D-Cedar Rapids). “Food assistance would help Iowa families who are struggling right now. It also would help our community grocery stores, which need more customers, and Iowa farmers who need more markets for their products.”

    The 2021 legislative session convenes January 11, 2021.

    -end-

    *Signing onto this release are Senator-Elect Sarah Trone Garriott (Windsor Heights) and State Senators:

    • Joe Bolkcom (Iowa City)
    • Nate Boulton (Des Moines)
    • Claire Celsi (West Des Moines)
    • Bill Dotzler (Waterloo)
    • Eric Giddens (Cedar Falls)
    • Rob Hogg (Cedar Rapids)
    • Pam Jochum (Dubuque)
    • Jim Lykam (Davenport)
    • Liz Mathis (Hiawatha)
    • Janet Petersen (Des Moines)
    • Herman Quirmbach (Ames)
    • Amanda Ragan (Mason City)
    • Jackie Smith (Sioux City)
    • Zach Wahls (Coralville)

  • Gov. Reynolds’ Misuse of Federal Pandemic Relief Funds

    For the past two years, Governor Reynolds has been less than forthcoming about the Governor’s Office budget. According to documents uncovered by reporters, the Governor’s Office was running a budget deficit of approximately half a million dollars ($449,448) in March of this year. Details: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/12/07/exclusive-iowa-governor-overspent-office-budget-before-tapping-cares-act/

    Shortly thereafter, the State of Iowa received millions of dollars in pandemic aid from the Federal CARES Act. Iowa was specifically prohibited from spending CARES dollars on staff salaries already accounted for in state budgets. All staff salaries in the Iowa Governor’s office were previously accounted for in the certified budget or through salary-sharing agreements with other state departments.

    A later directive clarified that CARES Act dollars money could be used to pay additional staff hired to meet increased workloads due to the pandemic. However, no additional staff were ever hired by Governor Reynolds.

    In an apparently improper effort to cover the Governor’s office budget deficit, Sara Craig Gongol, the Governor’s Chief of Staff, submitted an invoice for CARES Act dollars for the exact amount of that deficit. The funds were then transferred to the Governor’s office through the Dept. of Homeland Security – an unusual move.

    This maneuver circumvented normal accounting of CARES Act spending and calls into question the legitimacy of the transfer of funds. More importantly, these dollars are urgently needed to fund the pressing needs of Iowa families during this deadly pandemic.

    Senator Celsi is formally requesting that Republican leaders in the Iowa Senate convene a Senate Government Oversight meeting on this issue. The Legislature must ensure that all CARES dollars are used properly. If the State of Iowa fails to do so, Iowa could be required to return misspent CARES Act funding.

    Senator Celsi calls on Governor Reynolds to immediately return to Iowa’s CARES Act account the nearly half million dollars in pandemic relief funds improperly diverted to her office.

    “If Governor Reynolds cannot manage her office with the funds she’s received from the Legislature, she should request additional dollars from the proper channels. What Governor Reynold should not do—and the Legislature should not allow—is divert federal dollars intended to help Iowa recover from this historic pandemic,” said Senator Celsi. “There are too many other immediate needs in our state to allow this money to be misspent.”

    -End-

  • Statement on Reynolds’ failed COVID strategy

    JOINT STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR’S FAILED COVID STRATEGY FROMSENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER ZACH WAHLS AND HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER TODD PRICHARD

    “Governor Reynolds seems shocked that her failed COVID strategy has resulted in thousands of deaths, overcrowded hospitals, unsafe schools, and some of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the country over the past nine months.

    “Her half-measured attempt at a mask mandate will not be enough to make Iowans safer, especially heading into the holiday season. Her actions today are simply too little, too late. Half-measures will only prolong this pandemic and the suffering of Iowans. 

    “The Governor’s latest plan: 

    • Fails to protect our most vulnerable in nursing homes. 
    • Fails to protect the health and safety of educators and students in our schools. 
    • Fails to expand testing and contact tracing in all 99 counties. 
    • Fails to help small businesses and other employers hit hard by the pandemic.

    “The deadly results of her inaction has turned this pandemic into a public health crisis that has devastated our economy. Here is what the Governor should have announced tonight that include the specific recommendations of the White House Coronavirus Task Force:

    • An effective mask mandate. 
    • Proactive and increased testing for teachers, community college students, public sector workers, staff in crowded or congregate settings, all hospital personnel, large private sector employers.
    • Expand and renew Iowa Small Business Relief Grant Program to provide relief grants to bars, taverns and other establishments impacted by COVID-19.
    • Expanded, strategic use of testing in all 99 counties. 
    • Proactive testing must be part of the mitigation efforts inclusive of mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and immediate isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine.
    • Ensure all nursing homes, assisted living, and elderly care sites have full testing capacity and are isolating positive staff and residents.
    • Ensure all hospitals, including rural hospitals, have access to antivirals, antibodies, PPE, and ventilators.
    • Review testing at universities & ensure appropriate testing and behavior change in the 10 days prior to student departure to hometowns for the holiday season.

     ###

  • Statement on Governor’s latest COVID steps

    Statement from Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen 

    “Governor Reynolds’ latest steps to fight COVID are like buying a smoke detector after your house is blazing out of control. 

    “Iowa has one of the highest positivity rates in the nation, making more schools unsafe to hold in-person classes. Hospitals are above capacity for COVID and non-COVID patients. Iowans are finding it difficult to impossible to get tested for COVID. And the death count is spiking. 

    “For eight months, Governor Reynolds has unilaterally led a COVID strategy,  damaging the Iowa economy and leaving business owners and workers at her mercy. If the Governor had listened from day one to health care experts – including the White House Coronavirus Task Force – more Iowans would be alive today and the Iowa economy would be rebounding.”

    -end-

  • Statement on Governor’s misuse of federal COVID funds

    Statement by Senator Claire Celsi on findings by State Auditor and U.S. Treasury Department’s Inspector General on misuse of federal COVID relief funds by Governor Reynolds

    Sen. Claire Celsi is Ranking Member of the Senate Administration and Regulation Subcommittee

    “I am disappointed that Governor Reynolds used taxpayer money intended for COVID-19 related uses for non-pandemic expenditures. 

    ”These findings, discovered during Auditor Rob Sands’ review and confirmed by the Treasury Department’s Inspector General, prove that Governor Reynolds misused more than $20 million of federal funds the state received to fund COVID-19 relief measures that are desperately needed in our state.

    “Instead of directing more money to testing and contact tracing, paid sick leave for essential workers, food assistance, childcare subsidies, additional money for rent assistance, unemployment insurance, utility assistance, providing PPE to healthcare workers and educators, and to help schools prepare for the winter season — and myriad of other uses —  Governor Reynolds is using the CARES Act money as a means to fund pet projects and make Iowa’s budget appear flush with excess funds.

    “The U.S. Treasury had explicit rules on how this money could be used, and upon examination, it appears those rules were ignored.

    “A few months ago, I asked State Auditor Rob Sand to investigate the use of COVID-19 relief money to fund Workday, an IT project that was already underway before the pandemic.

    “Normally, the Senate Oversight Committee would investigate this type of action, but Auditor Sands’ independent investigation is the only option we have at this time. I fully support his critical examination of this misappropriation of taxpayer dollars.

    “I urge Department of Management Director Roderer and Governor Reynolds to immediately rectify this situation and use the COVID-19 funding for COVID-19 expenses, not as a supplement to our normal Iowa general fund budget.”

    -end-

  • Investigation needed into misuse of federal COVID funds

    Iowa Senate News Release
    September 16, 2020

    Key Democratic Legislators call for investigations into misuse of federal COVID funds

    Key Democratic legislators are calling for investigations into reports that Governor Reynolds diverted nearly $450,000 to pay her staff instead of using the funds for COVID-19 relief efforts. 

    “At a time when the number of jobless Iowans is through the roof and many Iowa businesses are hurting because of the pandemic, Iowa taxpayers should have confidence that federal COVID relief funds are being used only to help them,” said Sen. Joe Bolkcom, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

    “Instead of using funds that are desperately needed to provide relief to hard-working Iowans and closed or struggling businesses hurt by the pandemic, the Governor is diverting the relief funding for other purposes.  That’s not right.”

    A report by Bleeding Heartland uncovered public documents showing that Reynolds directed that $448,449 in funding received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act were used to cover salaries and benefits for staff already working in her office.

    The diversion is even more puzzling because the Legislature approved and the Governor signed legislation to appropriate more than $4.6 million to cover the cost of running the Governor’s office – including salaries and benefits – over the past two years. 

    “We need to find out what the Governor did with the extra money. The intent of the federal aid was not to allow the Governor to set up a slush fund,” Bolkcom said. “We also need to find out if this diversion is continuing.”

    For the past six months, none of the documents released to the public and legislators contained any information about this diversion of funds.

    “Instead of transparency by the Governor and her staff, they are hiding the ball from Iowa taxpayers,” Bolkcom said.

    Democratic Senators called for a three-pronged effort to investigate this misuse of public funds:

    • First, Senator Claire Celsi of West Des Moines, Ranking Member of the Administration and Regulation Budget Subcommittee, will request that the State Auditor immediately investigate the diversion of funds. The Subcommittee appropriated $2,303,954 for the Governor’s office during Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020) and $2,315,344 for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021).
    • Second, Senator Tony Bisignano,  Ranking Member of the Government Oversight Committee, will request that the Oversight Committee convene to allow Republican and Democratic lawmakers to question the Governor, the Director of the Department of Management and other key officials with knowledge of this diversion.
    • Third, federal officials in U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) will be contacted to investigate whether paying existing staff is an appropriate use of COVID relief funds.

    END

  • Iowa is COVID hot spot

    Iowa is officially the worst place in the country—and one of the worst places in the world—for spread of the coronavirus.

    Six months into the pandemic, when many of us thought we might be in the clear, Iowa is in the thick of it with record-high infection rates and mounting deaths.

    In response, the Governor on August 27 closed bars in six counties, including Black Hawk, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story. This is another half-hearted move that is preventing Iowa from getting the coronavirus under control.

    Governor Reynolds opened the state too fast, failed to follow the advice of public health experts, and continues to tie the hands of local leaders. Because of unreliable and inconsistent data from the state, we’re in a seemingly endless cycle that is hindering efforts to safely and sustainably open our economy and schools.

    To fill the void, organizations are stepping in to share the information they are collecting.

    For example, the Iowa State Education Association, in partnership with Iowa Covid-19 Tracker, has released a statewide tracking system for Iowa’s K-12 schools. Parents, teachers and school administrators can report COVID-19 cases, and families and community members can track what’s happening. To report information or see where cases have been confirmed, go to iowacovid19tracker.org/covid-19-in-our-schools.

    The Iowa Board of Medicine has also become more vocal in advocating for stronger measures to prevent spread of the coronavirus. In line with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), they’re pushing for masks in public areas and all situations where it’s difficult to maintain distance.

    Let’s all do our part:

    • Wear a mask in public
    • Keep your distance from others
    • Wash your hands frequently
    • Stay home when sick

    New regulations and relief for bars

    The Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) has published FAQs to answer questions about bar closures in six counties (Black Hawk, Dallas, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story) under the Governor’s August 27 proclamation. The order is in effect through September 20.

    To file a COVID-related complaint about a bar or restaurant, go to stateofiowa.seamlessdocs.com/f/abd_complaint.

    For more information, visit the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division website, email education@iowaabd.com or call 515-281-7400.

    Through federal CARES Act funding, grants are available to impacted businesses. Applications will be accepted September 10-24 for one-time $10,000 grants to assist with short-term cash flow. Eligible businesses must be in good standing with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, and the Iowa Department of Revenue.

    For complete details and to apply, go to iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/Business/business-disruption.

  • “The time for half-hearted public relations gestures is over.”

    State Senator Herman Quirmbach
    News Release: August 27, 2020

    “Governor Reynolds’ proclamation today closed bars in six counties, including Story County. Her action is an appropriate response, in part, to the irresponsible mass student parties of the last several weeks.

    “However, it is also in part an admission of the failure of her earlier response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reynolds’ refusal to listen to medical experts has contributed to the spread of COVID-19, leading to increasing death and disease and making it harder to restart both Iowa’s economy and Iowa’s schools on a sustainable basis.

    “Governor Reynolds opened the state too fast, failed to set a good example, and continues to prevent good decision-making by local authorities.

    “I call on Governor Reynolds to step up and meet the challenge of this moment. If we are to avoid further backward steps that will revisit the economic damage of this spring, she must at minimum immediately issue a statewide order for the use of masks in public.

    “If she lacks the courage to do so, then she should allow local authorities to make the tough decisions for their own communities and schools.

    “The time for half-hearted public relations gestures is over.”

    -end-

  • Let’s send kids back to school safely

    New reports based on information from the Iowa Department of Public Health suggest that current COVID-19 conditions may be worse than we’ve been led to believe. It appears some new cases and deaths have been backdated, making it difficult to know how current circumstances are playing out.

    Let’s all continue to practice preventive health measures, including:

    • Wearing a mask
    • Keeping distance from others in public places
    • Washing hands frequently
    • Staying home when sick

    These defenses against the spread of COVID-19 are our best chance of getting life back to normal as soon as possible.

    It’s back-to school time, and most parents would love for kids to return to their classroom – when it is safe.

    School boards, educators and families continue to deliberate the safest approach with the information available. After all, their health and safety and that of their communities is at stake.

    The Iowa State Education Association recommends a three-point checklist for safely reopening schools:

    1. The COVID-19 pandemic is under control in the community.
    2. Protections are in place to protect students and staff.
    3. Plans are in place to ensure continuous learning for all students.

    Our neighbors to the north are taking these steps and more, showing us a safe way to ease children back into classrooms.

    Minnesota is ensuring high-quality remote education until it is safe for students and educators to return to school. The Minnesota plan:

    • Requires schools that reopen to meet safety thresholds, including masks for students and teachers, social distancing, cleaning and protective equipment—and provides state support to cover the costs.
    • Requires schools that reopen to meet safety thresholds, including masks for students and teachers, social distancing, cleaning and protective equipment—and provides state support to cover the costs.
    • Requires schools that reopen to meet safety thresholds, including masks for students and teachers, social distancing, cleaning and protective equipment—and provides state support to cover the costs.

    No amount of seat time in a classroom will make up for jeopardizing the health of our kids. Let’s put their safety first as we continue to assess our return-to-learn plans.

  • Governor “abusing the power of her office” to force unsafe school reopenings

    Statement by Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen, 8/5/20

    “Governor Reynolds is abusing the power of her office.  

    “Nowhere in Senate File 2310 does it state that Iowa students, teachers and staff will be required to work and learn in unsafe buildings. In fact, the goal of the legislation was to give school districts more flexibility in online learning, not less.

    “No matter how Governor Reynolds tries to spin it to her advantage, the bill does not dictate the percentage of time Iowans need to spend in buildings. She cooked up that unsafe and unrealistic number herself.

    “I refuse to stand behind Governor Reynolds as she attacks local school board members with threats to yank their local school funding and educational licensure for voting on plans that put the health and safety of students and staff first.

    “I am grateful to school board members, teachers, parents, and students who have stood up to Governor Reynolds’ attempt at a hostile takeover of local control of our public schools.

    -end-