Three bills that would limit the power of Iowa governors have advanced ahead of today’s deadline for committee approval of policy bills. All three bills involve actions Governor Reynolds took during the pandemic.
One bill would prohibit governors from closing a place of worship, even during a disaster. Another bill would restrict a governor’s authority to decide how long a state of emergency or public health disaster may last and Iowa governors wouldn’t be allowed to order businesses to close, change election procedures or stop in-person visits at health care facilities.
Republican Representative Samantha Fett of Carlisle led debate on that bill in a House committee. “House Study Bill 726 is a bill that strengthens constitutional liberties, preserves essential public health tools, and clarifies the proper roles of the executive and legislative branches.”
A third bill would make it harder for the executive branch to move forward with certain administrative rules. Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, voted against the bills. “I don’t love the idea of closing down places of worship and certainly that needs to be a last resort,” she said, “but in the case of an emergency I do believe that we need that flexibility in the state.”
Republican legislators are considering the bills now that Governor Kim Reynolds is not seeking re-election and voters will choose Iowa’s next governor in the November 3 election.
