Week in Iowa, Aug. 28, 2023: Recap of news from across the state

Iowa AG appeals non-English voter docs ruling: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed an appeal in an effort to stop county auditors from printing voting materials in languages other than English. The appeal comes after a June court ruling that reversed a longstanding precedent and cleared the way for county auditors to print voter registration and other forms in non-English languages.

The lawsuit hinges on the English Language Reaffirmation Act, a 2002 law that requires all state documents in Iowa to be printed in English. One exception is if any language is used to secure a constitutional right. A judge ruled in June that non-English voter materials could be printed under that exception.

Reynolds says she won't institute COVID restrictions: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she will not reinstate any new COVID-19 restrictions as cases are again increasing around the country. Local COVID surges have prompted a few colleges in the country to institute short-term mitigation measures, but no states have indicated an intent to bring back masking requirements or other restrictions.

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Democrat elected auditor in Warren County: Warren County voters ousted their Republican auditor — a position that oversees elections — who had shared conspiracy theories about the 2020 election online, in favor of Democrat Kim Sheets in a special election last week. David Whipple had been serving as auditor since June, when he was appointed by the county's board of supervisors.

Panel recommends reduction in state boards: A panel convened to re-evaluate Iowa's boards and commissions recommended more than 100 of them be cut or consolidated into other boards during a meeting last week. The committee will hold a public hearing before making its final recommendation, which must be passed by the Legislature before becoming law.

Among those slated to be cut are the Iowa Council on Homelessness and the Midwifery Advisory Council, along with a number of boards that are no longer meeting regularly. Many health-related boards will be absorbed by the Health and Human Services Council.

State drought worst in a decade: Iowa's overall dryness reached its worst point since 2013 last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. High heat and low rainfall have contributed to significant drought conditions this summer, and about 80 percent of Iowa now is in drought conditions.

County will cover emergency contraception: Johnson County became the latest county to cover emergency contraception costs for victims of rape as Attorney General Brenna Bird has indefinitely paused her office's practice of covering the costs. There are 160 pending reimbursement requests statewide, totaling about $7,000.

They said ...

“Since news broke of COVID-19 restrictions being re-instated at some colleges and businesses across the U.S., concerned Iowans have been calling my office asking whether the same could happen here. My answer — not on my watch.” — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on COVID-19 restrictions

“The constitutional right to vote should never be hampered by anything like this, it’s just so wrong to do this. So we’re very concerned. And we feel that we have a good argument. The judge clearly felt that way.” — LULAC of Iowa Political Director Joe Henry on state efforts to appeal non-English voter materials ruling

Odds and ends

2024 watch: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez suspended his bid for president last week after failing to make the August debate stage. Suarez said at the Iowa State Fair in August he would likely end his candidacy if he did not make the stage.

Opioid grant: The Iowa Healthcare Collaborative received a $1 million federal grant to improve youth behavioral health care access in rural Iowa with a focus on preventing overdoses. The grant was part of an $80 million program focused on opioid overdoses in rural areas.

Water cooler

Distracted driving: More than half of surveyed Iowans at the State Fair said they always or sometimes drive with a mobile device in their hands, according to state traffic safety officials. Still, more than 80 percent said they would support a law to ban the practice, which has been considered for several years but never passed.

Eminem weighs in: The rapper Eminem has asked Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy not to use his music on the campaign trail after the biotech entrepreneur rapped "Lose Yourself" during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair with Gov. Kim Reynolds.