JUST A THOUGHT: With the final “funnel” deadline looming, the pace of legislative committee work is quickening. Friday is the last day for Senate bills to be reported out of House committees and House bills out of Senate committees. For all practical purposes this is the last opportunity for policy-related bills to advance for further deliberation this session.
The last item on my local government committee agenda yesterday was a vote on SF507, a bill banning local governments from operating “diversity, equity, and inclusion” offices. It’s yet another GOP “culture war” issue distracting the public from our jaw-dropping cancer rates; misguided education policies; and withering economy among other Republican failings. Not surprisingly, I voted “no” only because “hell, no!” was not an option.
My opposition is based on two considerations. First, I believe a commitment to “DEI” is a good thing, a very good thing. In fact, I believe diversity is America’s superpower. I believe that the decision to create a DEI office is a local decision that requires no guidance or direction from under the Golden Dome in Des Moines. Be that as it may, the GOP passed the bill.
But in closing remarks, the bill’s floor manager encouraged Democrats to continue to defend DEI policies because such action would help ensure a GOP supermajority in the future. This cynical comment and snarky tone make clear that House Republicans are focused on pandering to extreme ideologies in order to preserve power, not serving all Iowans. More’s the pity.
