The Iowa Legislature should immediately pass a bill requiring schools to offer 100{c25493dcd731343503a084f08c3848bd69f9f2f05db01633325a3fd40d9cc7a1} in-person classes for students and another to provide parents with “education savings accounts,” giving families more choice in education, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday.
Reynolds, a Republican, unveiled the sweeping education proposals Tuesday night as part of her annual Condition of the State address broadcast in prime time on Iowa PBS. The address included plans to ban racial profiling by law enforcement, cut taxes and dramatically boost spending on broadband internet.
She began the speech, however, looking back at the range of difficulties Iowans experienced in 2020, including the devastating derecho, drought, racial justice protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a year,” she said, “and I’ll let you fill in whatever adjective you want.”
Speaking from the Iowa House floor, Reynolds led lawmakers and viewers in a moment of silence for the more than 4,000 Iowans who have died with COVID-19.
“Whether you’re in the chamber or watching at home, please take a moment, bow your head and remember all of those we lost this year and the loved ones they leave behind,” she said.
Throughout those struggles, Iowans showed their financial resilience and emotional strength, she said, and now the state is making progress in administering the COVID-19 vaccine to Iowans. As of Tuesday, the CDC reported more than 98,000 Iowans have received at least their first dose of the vaccine.
“By Jan. 25, all 90,000 nursing home residents and staff will have received the vaccine, ensuring that Iowans most at risk are among the first to have this protection,” Reynolds pledged.
Reynolds asks for in-person class requirement ‘immediately,’ along with other ‘school choice’ measures
After hinting for the past month that she would like to require schools to offer 100{c25493dcd731343503a084f08c3848bd69f9f2f05db01633325a3fd40d9cc7a1} in-person classes, Reynolds on Tuesday directly appealed to lawmakers.
“Tonight, I am asking the Legislature to immediately send a bill to my desk that gives parents the choice to send their children back to school full time,” she said. “We can’t wait any longer. And our kids can’t wait any longer.”
A law the Legislature passed last year requires schools to offer “primarily” in-person courses. Although it gives Reynolds emergency power to waive that requirement, it does not allow her to require more than 50{c25493dcd731343503a084f08c3848bd69f9f2f05db01633325a3fd40d9cc7a1} of instruction be in-person.
The measure has Republican support. Following Reynolds’ speech, House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, told reporters there are “thousands of Iowans crying out” for an in-person option and that he is eager to work on passing the legislation.
“I think it’s incumbent on the Legislature to take action as soon as possible when we can get with the governor (and) get with the Senate to do a bill to do that,” he said.
But Democrats said such a bill would wrest decision-making from the hands of local leaders and could cause further spread of the virus.
“We would love to have 100{c25493dcd731343503a084f08c3848bd69f9f2f05db01633325a3fd40d9cc7a1} in-person learning. We know that that is the preferred method. But we need to make sure that it’s done safely,” said House Minority Leader Todd Prichard, D-Charles City.
Health experts have also told the Des Moines Register that although in-person schooling is important for children, studies show older children appear to catch and spread the virus at the same rate as adults, and they fear a sweeping mandate would provide an opportunity for increased community spread.
For subscribers:Parental choice? Or a loss of local control? Iowa lawmakers to weigh requirement for in-person classes
Reynolds further proposed a number of “school choice” measures. Among the proposals is a system where parents could tap into public money to pay for a private education for their students. These “education savings accounts” — sometimes referred to as school vouchers — would help parents whose children are “trapped in a failing school,” she said.
“School choice shouldn’t be limited to those who have the financial means or are lucky to live in a district that’s confident enough to allow open enrollment,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds also called for expanding options for parents by making open enrollment available for every district and by giving communities more flexibility to create public charter schools.
Republicans have introduced similar school voucher proposals in the Legislature in recent years, and Republican leadership on Monday reiterated support for widening school options. Democrats and advocates for public schools have criticized such proposals, saying they take money and students away from the public schools, which Iowa is obligated to fund.
Reynolds calls for banning racial profiling; defends officers who ‘put their lives on the line’
Reynolds renewed her promise to work on criminal justice legislation, coupling a proposal to ban racial profiling by law enforcement with increased penalties for those who “riot or attack our men and women in uniform.”
“We should never be afraid to talk about ways to improve policing, but there will be no talk of defunding the police here. Our men and women in blue will always have my respect, and I will always have their back,” she said.
It was in this section of her speech, nearly three-fourths of the way through the 4,300-word address, that Reynolds invoked last week’s mob violence at the U.S. Capitol in which an officer was killed. She also spoke of an incident in Davenport last summer where three officers were ambushed, and one was injured. She praised law enforcement who “put their lives on the line every day.”
“Our prayers are with the families of the Capitol Police officers, who sacrificed their lives to defend the beacon of our democracy and the people in it. And our prayers are with every other officer who defends us against those who are intent on violence,” she said.
She denounced the violence from last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol and from what she referred to as “last year’s civil unrest,” saying “violence and anarchy is not acceptable. Period.”
Grassley said he believes there will be interest among House Republicans for the proposal. He said House Republican leadership is committed to continuing the discussion on racial justice, and he was glad to see support for law enforcement.
“I think we can have some really productive conversations this session,” he said.
Democrats said they hope they’re able to work with Reynolds and Republicans on racial justice and policing legislation, but they’ll have to see the language Reynolds proposes.
“I think Democrats and Republicans alike continue to support law enforcement in this state,” said Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville. “And figuring out ways to take that next step on justice reform while continuing to support our men and women in uniform in our law enforcement agencies is something that we should obviously be taking a look at doing.”
Although she did not call for it in her speech Tuesday, Reynolds will still seek to pass a constitutional amendment allowing people with felony convictions to vote once they have completed their sentences, as she has advocated for in each of the past two years.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said her decision to sign an executive order automatically restoring voting rights has made passing the amendment less pressing for Senate Republicans.
“When that was signed, it really took a lot of the air out of the ball as far as moving the amendment forward,” he told the Des Moines Register last week.
Racial justice advocates have urged Reynolds to go further.
On Monday, the Iowa BLM Statewide Coalition, composed of several groups that advocate for Black Iowans, released a list of legislative demands. They include passing the felon voting rights constitutional amendment; legalizing marijuana and expunging prior convictions; repealing the Iowa Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights; repealing a law that requires law enforcement to comply with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainer requests; repealing a law that requires the state to buy from Iowa Prison Industries; and passing legislation to promote Black maternal and infant health.
‘We need to continue the conversation about cutting taxes’
Iowa’s financial health, with a $305 million budget surplus and more than $770 million in cash reserves at the end of last year, puts the state in a position to look at additional tax cuts, Reynolds said.
She argued that effort should include getting rid of the revenue triggers passed by the Legislature as part of a 2018 tax cut to more quickly implement that law. In order for the 2018 law to fully go into effect, the state is required to reach certain revenue thresholds.
“We aren’t looking at tough budget cuts, and we’re certainly not looking at raising taxes. If anything, we need to continue the conversation about cutting taxes, and we can start by getting rid of the unnecessary triggers that were put in place in 2018,” she said.
Reynolds’ call to eliminate the triggers matches the argument that outside groups such as Iowans for Tax Relief have made in calling for quickly passing more tax cuts.
Her comments drew mixed reaction from Iowa’s Republican leadership Tuesday evening. Whitver said Senate Republicans have wanted to eliminate the triggers for years, and he believes the governor’s proposal is “a great starting point” for a wider discussion on tax relief.
“There are many other areas of our tax code that need improvement, and I know the governor is willing to work with us on what those areas might be,” he said.
Reynolds’ proposal drew a less enthusiastic response from Grassley, who said House Republicans want to be involved in discussions about tax cuts but have historically supported the triggers.
“That was something that has been very important to our caucus, and when the tax bill was passed, that was one of the pieces of it,” he said.
Democrats argued that further implementing the 2018 tax law would disproportionately benefit the wealthy. If any changes are made to the tax code, they should be to help Iowans harmed by the pandemic, they said.
Reynolds’ proposal on tax cuts did not include the centerpiece of her 2020 Condition of the State speech: a 1-cent sales tax increase that would pay for a reduction in income taxes along with funding for water quality and mental health.
That bill was shelved last year as the pandemic swept through Iowa. Reynolds told reporters last week she would not bring it forward this year, because the virus’ full impact on the economy remains unknown.
Reynolds pitches large investment in broadband, more mental health funding
Reynolds promised a large investment in Iowa’s broadband infrastructure Tuesday, pledging to spend $450 million between now and 2025 to connect every part of the state to high-speed broadband internet.
“Let’s plant a stake in the ground and declare that every part of Iowa will have affordable, high-speed broadband by 2025,” she said.
Other notable proposals in Tuesday’s speech included:
- Addressing Iowa’s child care shortage by allocating $3 million to fund public-private partnerships in developing child care facilities, as well as using $25 million in child care development block grants to promote child care startups.
- Beginning a review of Iowa’s licensing boards and commissions “to make sure they are serving their purpose.”
- Using $1 million for Iowa hospitals and clinics to begin a “center of excellence” program that connects rural physicians with specialists.
- Increasing mental health funding by $15 million this year and another $15 million next year.
Amid pandemic, Tuesday speech broke with multiple traditions
In a break from custom, Reynolds delivered her remarks at 6 p.m. Tuesday, rather than in the morning. She said after all of the difficulties of 2020, she wanted to speak at a time when more Iowans could tune in.
“Tonight, I’m breaking with that tradition so that I may speak directly to Iowans,” she said.
The crowd present in the House chamber was also smaller than usual. Democratic leadership in the House and Senate said several of their lawmakers decided to watch the address remotely as a coronavirus precaution.
Democrats have criticized the COVID-19 precautions Republican legislative leaders set — precautions that do not include a requirement for facial coverings.
A news release from Democratic leaders on Tuesday said most members planned to watch the speech virtually.
“This is intended to be a reflection of public health guidance, not a political statement or protest of any kind,” the release said.
More Iowa Legislature coverage:
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
Ian Richardson covers the Iowa Statehouse for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected], at 515-284-8254, or on Twitter at @DMRIanR.
