This question has been sent to The Iowa Standard a lot in the past couple of days. The answer wasn’t as easy to find as we expected, but it lies in the Iowa Constitution.
Article III Section 2 of the Iowa Constitution states that the legislature can meet for a special session upon written request to the presiding officer of each house of the general assembly by two-thirds of the members of each house.
The other option is if the Governor would desire to convene the general assembly.
That second option isn’t going to happen when the reason for the session is to review the Governor’s emergency powers.
But option one isn’t going to happen either.
In the meantime, it is likely Gov. Reynolds will continue to utilize the Governor’s emergency powers through proclamations during a months-long period of emergency.
It is likely that this emergency stretch where Gov. Reynolds has an incredible amount of power will last longer than a pregnancy.
Some Republican lawmakers have spoken publicly about reviewing these powers during the 2021 legislative session.
For some Iowans, that process cannot come soon enough.
It is unlikely and unrealistic to expect that to happen, though, as the session is two months away and Republicans will not want to call a special session to provide a check on a Republican governor, though her popularity among Republicans in the state is dropping every day it seems.
