The Iowa Legislature has adjourned for the year after a session shortened by the coronavirus pandemic and altered by chaotic street protests over police treatment of blacks. The Republican majority approved a bill creating a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, as well as a bill limiting the Secretary of State from sending absentee ballot request forms to all voters. A fiscal year 2021 budget was approved, and lawmakers swiftly passed a measure unanimously that restricts police use of chokeholds and makes other policing changes. But the legislature denied Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request to approve a constitutional amendment to automatically restore the voting rights of tens of thousands of felons.
The reopening of Iowa businesses in the aftermath of COVID-19 continued in Iowa last Friday…Gov. Kim Reynolds told me on KXEL Live & Local Friday morning that Iowans are more than ready for business as usual. You can hear the full interview with Gov. Reynolds by going to the podcast section of kxel-dot-com.
The City of Waterloo is looking to move forward on improvement projects at the airport. The council will hold a public hearing tonight on projects at the Waterloo Regional Airport, which are expected to cost more than $4 million. The largest expense, more than $3 million, is for pavement reconstruction, as well as tree removal in several locations. Other projects include removing mold in one of the hangars and re-carpeting the lobby.
Iowa lawmakers approved a waiting period for abortions during an overnight session that stretched into sunrise on Sunday morning. The House approved the bill establishing a 24-hour waiting period just before midnight and the Senate passed the measure at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. The bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is strongly pro-life; no official word on whether she will sign the bill, but in a post-session news release highlighting priorities that were passed in the session, this bill was at the top of the list.
Friday afternoon, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a package of police reforms only hours after lawmakers unanimously approved the legislation. Shortly before the signing ceremony, the governor talked about it live on KXEL. Provisions include restrictions on the use of choke holds and additional options to prosecute officers. Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement stood with a bipartisan group of legislators as Reynolds signed the bill in a special outdoor ceremony at the capitol.
Numbers of COVID-19 victims continue to decrease in Iowa…there was only one death reported yesterday, and none on Saturday. That was the first day since April 6 that no additional coronavirus deaths were reported in our state. Iowa health officials say the state had 328 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. Since the pandemic began in March, 23,879 Iowans have tested positive; 651 have died.
The Iowa legislature adjourned yesterday afternoon, returning for less than two weeks to complete a session interrupted by COVID-19 last March. While funding was provided to continue the Future Ready Iowa and Empower Rural Iowa initiatives, Gov. Kim Reynolds had to pause plans for the comprehensive Invest in Iowa program she introduced in her Condition of the State message in January. But as she told me on KXEL Live & Local last Friday morning, the plan is still in the works. Hear the full interview by going to the podcast page of kxel-dot-com.
Another sign of business as usual post-pandemic…the City of Cedar Falls has resumed parking enforcement in the Downtown and College Hill areas starting today. A reminder, in the Downtown district, enforcement hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.. while enforcement hours for College Hill are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A Jackson County man was run over by his tractor and fertilizer applicator and died…it happened shortly after 1:30 Saturday afternoon in rural Maquoketa. 63-year-old Stephen Miller was filling up a fertilizer tank applicator hooked to a farm tractor. While Miller was waiting for the tank to fill, the tractor slipped into gear and drove forward. Miller was run over by the rear wheels of the tractor and the fertilizer applicator. The tractor continued forward until it struck a machine shed. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene.
