We’re back for the Iowa’s Legislature’s 89th General Assembly and our third season. Today the leaders of Iowa’s legislative branch outline their goals for the year and try not sigh too deeply because… pandemic. Still.
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Transcript
With the fall of the gavel, we’re back for the Iowa’s Legislature’s 89th General Assembly and our third season. Today the leaders of Iowa’s legislative branch outline their goals for the year and try not sigh too deeply because… pandemic. Still.
I’m Greg Hauenstein and this is the Daily Dome.
Thank you so much for joining us again. Let’s get right into it. Later this morning the Iowa General Assembly will begin their legislative session under a cloud of pandemic. We hope not literally but neither the Speaker nor the Senate President are mandating members, their staff, the press, nor guests from wearing masks. I wish I were kidding.
At a legislative forum last week, Iowa Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls told reporters that is was “not safe” for legislators, staff, press, nor the public. Data is on his side.
So we will not be up at the legislature this year unless it is absolutely necessary. We will strive to bring you as much access to lawmakers and their thoughts as we can but bear with us. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.
How will this affect business under the dome?
Subcommittee meetings — where lawmakers give bills their first consideration — will all be livestreamed.
The Senate will hold its subcommittee meetings via Zoom, House subcommittees will via Webex.
We are encouraged to send our comments in writing. Links to those livestreams and the email addresses of members are all found at www.legis.iowa.gov.
We will hear from House and Senate leadership on their goals for session this morning and we’ll break down those priorities in tomorrow’s episode.
Assistant House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst spoke to Potluck Media’s “What a Week” podcast last week about the Democrats’ priorities.
You can hear that entire interview on our website: potluck.fm or by subscribing to What a Week. Which, if you haven’t already, come on…
One of the biggest votes coming up this session is on new legislative districts. Every 10 years, based on Census data, the Legislative Services Agency, the non-partisan staff that keeps the gears of government churning draws up new state house, senate, and us congressional districts. The last time this happened a couple incumbents were lumped into the same district and forced to re-enact the Hunger Games. I mean run against each other in a primary, move, or retire.
There’s been little to no talk of changing Iowa’s non-partisan system and for that, every political watcher in this state is thankful because we just came off of 2020, 2021 hasn’t been exactly quiet on the partisan front, and I don’t know if our delicate minds could take that.
Tomorrow
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will deliver the Condition of the State address at 6 p.m. This speech is usually in the morning but she felt like making my life harder by giving me 8 fewer hours to analyze the speech. She must have been reading my tweets.
That’s all for us today. We’ll see you tomorrow.
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