GOP sends the wrong message to end the 2021 session

The 2021 Iowa legislative session culminated with a ban on local and school mask mandates, passed in the final hours before adjournment, continuing to show where exactly Iowa Republicans’ priorities lie.

First, the Legislature continues to ignore COVID-19 in Iowa, despite the fact that over 6,000 Iowans have died in the pandemic. Because we are approaching summer and more Iowans are fully vaccinated, hopefully there will not be another spike in cases. However, this bill sends the incorrect message that the pandemic is over, even for the nearly 60 percent of Iowans not yet fully vaccinated. Gov. Kim Reynolds recently blamed “mixed messages” for the decline in vaccine demand in Iowa. This bill simply amplifies the mixed messaging.

Next, the bill makes a mockery of any Republican claim to supporting local control. You can be certain that if a Democratic Legislature passed a law that similarly superseded the powers of local officials, Iowa Republicans would be irate.

Finally, the Legislature pushed this proposal through in a matter of hours. Reynolds first indicated possible support of such a proposal the morning of the session’s final day. It was then introduced in the afternoon and added to an unrelated budget bill, which required a suspension of legislative rules. Reynolds signed the bill after midnight. There was no time for public feedback.

Hopefully in future sessions, Iowa Republicans realize that actual governance is more important than the messaging bills prioritized in 2021.

Matthew Voss

Atkins