Week 6 of the 2021 Legislative Session has come and gone and the Iowa House Republicans remain focused on addressing the needs we’ve heard from Iowans.
COVID Relief for Public Schools
This week the Iowa House passed additional funds for public schools to help with the cost of in-person learning during a pandemic. Studies upon studies have told us that in-person learning is the best learning environment for the vast majority of students. This bill allocates an additional $27 million for our schools that worked so hard to provide that in-person learning option for our children.
This bill does not punish or reward schools that either did or did not have classes in-person last fall. This is about the understanding that there are additional costs to having to operate your classroom at full capacity, in-person during a pandemic and the state can help with those costs.
Protecting the Integrity of Our Election System
Because of the actions taken by this legislature in the past, our election system here in Iowa is strong and something to be proud of. The 2020 election was safe and secure and we saw record turnout with almost 80% of registered voters casting ballots. At the same time, the 2020 election made clear a couple of ways we can improve our election system even further.
This week, the House and Senate began work on legislation to protect the integrity of Iowa’s elections. This bill aims to ensure there is uniformity of election procedures throughout the state, make sure our county auditors are following the law, and shorten the election cycle. House Republicans are working to strengthen our election system so Iowa can continue to set an example for the rest of the country.
