On Thursday we told you about Senate File 118 being introduced in the Iowa Senate. This bill would reform the governor’s emergency powers. It’s a bill grassroots conservatives have been begging for since COVID restrictions were put in place and most of the nation’s governors went overboard with their executive powers.
On Saturday, a constituent asked Rozenboom about the bill’s future since it was assigned to his State Government Committee. Rozenboom said he was unaware a bill existed to reform the powers and added he didn’t know it was assigned to his committee.
He claimed that “hundreds” of bills are being filed right now and being assigned to different committees. To be clear, less than 200 bills were filed in the Iowa Senate during the first two weeks of the legislative session. Of those, 19 have been assigned to Rozenboom’s State Government Committee.
“I remember those days well in 2020 where emergency powers were used as a tool and sometimes an excuse for government to control people,” he said. “We had this discussion and I’m sure it’s similar content to the bill you mentioned, in ’21 when people were pretty excited. Not that Gov. Reynolds had abused her power, but others had around the country, and there was a feeling we need to update those rules. And there was a bill advanced at that time to do that, um, the governor did not want to do it — Gov. Reynolds did not — and I remember pleading with the caucus. I said ‘Give the lady a break. She has just gone through 12 months of dealing with a really difficult thing. It’s an election year. She may be supportive of what we’re doing, it’s not the right time. It may be the right legislation, it’s not the right time.'”
Rozenboom said he is “happy” to look at Senate File 118.
“When I pleaded with the caucus not to do it, it wasn’t that they were wrong it was the timing is wrong and maybe now the timing is right,” Rozenboom said.
Once the political climate changes, all kinds of people suddenly have “insight and courage”. Whatever… Let’s take opportunity to encourage the change. This legislation needs to get passed, for whatever “emergencies” the government wants to declare in the future.