Progress Iowa continues to send out its daily email during the legislative session. As we pass through funnel week (last week) the seriousness of what the legislature is doing is magnified. Many of the bills that pass through the funnel have a good chance of becoming law.
Much of that legislation has little to do with governing and more to do with culture wars and giveaways to industry. Welcome to the new Iowa. Once we were a beacon of light. Now we follow the ideology of the dark right.
Anyway I digress. Here is the High Five for Thursday that highlights some of the ideas that far right Republicans have to hurt Iowans. Note that children are deep in the mix:
| Happy Read Across America Day, Dave!
To recognize today and fight back against book banning, many are sharing a #Shelfie, a picture or video with a favorite banned or challenged book. Will you join them? For more information, you can click here or follow us on Twitter where we’ll be sharing Iowans shelfies today! Now, let’s get into today’s top stories: 1. GOP SQUEEZES BAD BILLS THROUGH FUNNEL: There are plenty of positive bills to improve life in Iowa – like increasing the minimum wage, providing paid family leave, or legalizing marijuana, but this funnel week, Iowa Republicans have pushed over 100 bills through subcommittees, despite much of their legislation causing harm. These bills include book bans, bathroom bans, and a rewrite of child labor laws. As summed up in this tweet Republican legislators seem to think “working in a mine is appropriate for a 14 year old but reading Lord of the Flies is a bridge too far.” 2. CHILDREN SERVING ALCOHOL OK FOR REPUBLICANS: House Republicans’ child labor bill, which would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to serve drinks, was advanced out of committee yesterday. This, along with extending work hours for children, is just another example of Republicans putting wealthy corporations over people and the wellbeing of kids. 3. SAFETY IS A LAST PRIORITY FOR GOP: A dangerous new bill similar to HSB 173 has been advanced out of a Senate subcommittee this week allowing loaded firearms to be stored in vehicles, including school buses. This legislation would only put more Iowans at risk. It’s time legislators put our safety before political agendas. 4. POLITICIANS ATTEMPT TO BAN UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS: Legislation has now passed out of a House committee to bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public Iowa universities. This is a huge overstep for Iowa Republicans and another attempt to erase the diversity in our state. 5. REYNOLDS HURT IOWA WORKERS: Many, including Iowa’s construction workers, are feeling the impact of Gov. Reynolds unemployment cuts this winter. With access to unemployment benefits shortened by 10 weeks, Iowans are having a difficult time making ends meet between concrete jobs that often stall in the cold weather. As Republicans attempt to make even more cuts, we must stand up for Iowa’s workers who depend on this earned benefit. Finally, we would like to say how proud we are of Iowa students for standing up for themselves and their LGBTQ classmates yesterday. Iowa kids deserve to feel safe and welcome at school, so they can get a great, honest education without worrying about dangerous legislation coming from the legislature. It’s time politicians stop their attacks and let kids be themselves. Thanks for reading, and we’ll get back with you tomorrow for another High Five! |
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Blog For Iowa 