Today, the Iowa Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to Gov. Kim Reynolds asking for a line-item veto on a provision regarding 911 Emergency Communications Services included in SF 659, which passed last week. Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner (D-Iowa City) has released the following statement.

“Our communities rely on the efficient and effective delivery of emergency services,” Sen. Weiner said. “Any policy change that may cause disruptions to those services should be thoroughly vetted and include input from community stakeholders, not snuck in a budget bill at the last minute on the last day of the legislative session.”

“While I recognize that HSEM has its own unique budgetary and infrastructure needs, this particular language is not the way to address those needs,” Sen. Weiner said. “Senate Democrats are asking Gov. Reynolds to use her gubernatorial authority to line-item veto Division XII of SF 659 to ensure our local 911 and public safety agencies can continue providing their critical services uninterrupted.”

The letter, signed by the entire Iowa State Senate Democratic Caucus, is attached to this release.