Salmon’s Senate bill would reform Governor’s emergency powers in Iowa

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Senate File 2030 was filed on Tuesday by Iowa State Sen. Sandy Salmon. The bill relates to duties and powers relative to emergency situations including a state of disaster emergency and public health disasters.

This is a topic many conservatives have been begging the legislature to address since the COVID lockdowns that took place in Iowa in 2020. You can read about those lockdowns here.

Salmon’s bill allows a governor’s disaster proclamation to only be in effect for 60 days. It is only allowed to be extended by the legislature. Should the legislature extend it, the extension can be for up to 60 days, but the legislature would need to authorize any further extension and that cannot exceed 60-day increments. If the legislature is not in session, the legislative council may extend the proclamation one time and the extension cannot exceed 60 days.

The legislature or the legislative council will have authority under the bill to line-item veto provisions of a governor’s proclamation. The proclamation itself will not be allowed to:

1. 1. Infringe on a constitutionally protected right
   2. Restrict rights, interests or activities in a manner that is not neutral or evenly applicable
   3. Prohibit in-person interactions between family or pastor with a patient in a hospital or resident in a nursing home
   4. Authorize use of mobile, cellular, or any other digital technologies to track or surveil persons without their consent
   5. Restrict the practice or scope of service of a health care professional or hospital, or clinic
   6. Require participation in a contact tracing program
   7. Require diagnostic tests, vaccinations, quarantine or treatment of healthy people. If sick, they cannot be required to take a vaccination or a treatment but can be required to be quarantined. The quarantine period cannot last longer than the incubation period of the disease. Medical and religious exemptions apply. Mandatory restrictions on freedom of movement and freedom of association are prohibited unless a person is sick or a warrant obtained

Individuals will be able to share evidence-based information and experiences on the HHS website. Medical and religious exemptions for vaccinations required for attendance at public schools during a disaster emergency will also be restored under the bill.

If you want to support the bill, contact members of the subcommittee who are assigned to the bill.

Those members are:

*Republican Sen. Jason Schultz — [email protected]
*Republican Sen. Mike Bousselot — [email protected]
*Democrat Sen. Tony Bisignano — [email protected]

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers are currently the only organization registered against the bill. No group has registered for it.