Capitol Notebook: Union members at Iowa Capitol protest federal government upheaval

DES MOINES — Union leaders and members rallied Monday at the Iowa Capitol, expressing their frustration with attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration and tech billionaire Elon Musk to downsize and restructure the federal government.

Bob Gullion, recording secretary for United Steelworkers Local 310L in Des Moines, told the crowd of dozens of supporters that rallied on the steps of the Iowa Capitol that government funding freezes and layoffs could have a detrimental impact on Iowa’s agriculture industry and economy. He said the changes could lead to fewer government purchases of crops, less financial assistance for farm loans and a reduction in road construction and repairs.

“With funding freezes and unnecessary tariffs, the ag industry will suffer greatly by bankrupting some of our last family farms,” Gullion said at the rally. “It will also impact producers of ag equipment and products with more jobs lost and possible plant closures across the country.”

Ruark Hotopp, a regional leader for the American Federation of Government Employees, said the union represents roughly 10,000 workers in Iowa. He said members present at the rally included workers in the federal agriculture department and with Social Security.

“This is the sort of thing that these guys want to do. They want to dismantle the federal government. They want to make it so that it doesn’t work for you all. They want to make us out to be deep state operatives,” Hotopp said. “We’re not the enemy.”

In an executive order issued last week titled “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” Trump said it is his administration’s policy “to dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government while increasing its accountability to the American people.”

“Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation,” the order states.

Bill would ban DEI positions, programs in local government

Cities and counties would be prohibited from having programs or positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion under state legislation advanced Monday at the Iowa Capitol.

Senate Study Bill 1150 would require “ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral hiring” and prohibit local governments from hiring or giving preferential treatment based on race, color or ethnicity.

The two Republicans — Sens. Cherielynn Westrich of Ottumwa and Dave Sires of Cedar Falls — on a three-member Senate subcommittee supported advancing the bill, making it eligible for consideration by the Senate Local Government Committee. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, declined to support the bill.

Bill intended to protect beliefs of potential foster parents

The state could not disqualify potential foster parents based on their religious beliefs under legislation advanced by Senate Republicans.

Senate File 236 would prohibit the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from requiring prospective foster parents “to affirm, accept, or support a policy” related to sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the prospective parents’ beliefs.

The bill was proposed by 1st Amendment Partnership, a national advocacy organization that says it’s for religious freedom.

The bill was advanced by Republican Sens. Sandy Salmon of Janesville and Mike Pike of Des Moines; Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, declined to support the bill.

Bill would raise sports betting tax, put funds toward tourism

The tax on sports betting in Iowa would be increased from 6.75 percent to 9 percent, and $15 million from sports betting taxes would be put into a new state tourism fund under legislation that advanced in the Senate.

Senate Study Bill 1157 would create the Iowa Major Events and Tourism Program and Fund, which would be established to help the state use incentives to compete for major events like sporting events, conventions, or music and art festivals. Lobbyists speaking in favor of the bill said it would help the state compete for events like the Pan American Wrestling Championships or an NFL preseason game.

A three-member subcommittee gave its blessing to the bill, making it eligible for consideration by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Bill would allow Iowans to sue over public union lists

In an updated version of legislation that was introduced and unsuccessful last year, Iowans could ask the courts to compel an employer with public union workers to produce a list of employees eligible to participate in a union recertification election if the employer has not produced such a list.

Last year, Senate Republicans introduced a proposal that would have decertified any public bargaining units whose employer failed to produce a list of workers eligible to vote in a recertification election. That bill failed to advance in the Senate.

That bill was proposed because from 2020 through 2022, the state did not receive information on union-eligible employees in more than 40 percent of instances in which a union was required to be recertified by a vote of its eligible workers, according to the formerly titled Public Employment Relations Board, the state board that manages public employer-worker relations.

Lawmakers said during Monday’s hearing that the compliance figure had jumped to roughly 80 percent, which Sen. Adrian Dickey, R-Packwood, attributed to new attention to the matter created by last year’s bill.

Senate Study Bill 1172 is a new approach to the topic. The bill would allow Iowans to take legal action against the employer, and all court costs would be paid by the prevailing party in any such challenge.

Dickey and Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, signed off on advancing the bill, making it eligible for consideration by the Senate Workforce Committee. Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, declined to support the bill.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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