Lawmakers and Gov. Kim Reynolds may have to find common ground on issues such as the Invest in Iowa Act if they are to make progress when the Legislature resumes in 2021, leaders said Thursday as the Greater Des Moines Partnership unveiled its priorities for the session that convenes Jan. 11.

The return to Des Moines next month follows a 2020 session that was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The session was suspended on March 16 and lawmakers didn’t reconvene until June 3, forcing them to rush to approve a state budget before the fiscal year ended June 30.

The Partnership presented its main legislative priorities Thursday during a presentation on Zoom that was attended by more than 150 local and regional business leaders, state lawmakers and other public and elected officials.

Scott Sundstrom, chair of the Partnership’s Government Policy Committee, moderated the discussion, identifying the Partnership’s main priorities, which include expansion of broadband, increasing affordability of and access to child care, justice reform, Invest in Iowa, and community placemaking.

Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, and House Minority Whip Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, all participated in the forum.

While lawmakers on both sides of the aisle indicated they were willing to work together in 2021, the discussion wasn’t without hints that the partisan divide of the past may persist into the new year.

At the end of the panel discussion, Grassley said he hoped Democratic lawmakers’ commitment to working together wasn’t just lip service. He cited partisan bickering last session over approving liability coverage for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic that spilled over into this year’s Statehouse campaigns, placing the blame on Democrats.

“I just want the Partnership to be aware that when we’re having these conversations and the politeness … about wanting to work together on this, one of the most offensive ads I saw was accusing Republicans of passing legislation that basically killed Grandma,” he said. “I’m not trying to be hyperpolitical, but I’m still very frustrated that we can sit here and want to work on the solutions, yet when it comes to campaigns it crossed the line, in my opinion. 

“So, House Republicans will continue to be strong on these issues, but recognizing that as we defend the things you bring to us, they will be used against us in the campaigns,” Grassley said. “It’s easy to sit here today and say we all want to work together, but I think we have shown [Republicans] have not only led on those issues but we’re willing to stand behind them.”

Konfrst said she was disappointed that Grassley brought up the campaign, and suggested it’s time to move on.

“We are looking forward to working together,” she said. “I don’t think it’s just talk. I think we can work together and certainly campaigns get ugly on both sides. I’m glad to know that we can look forward to the 2021 session, and we do need to address COVID recovery and we do need to address a lot of the issues … raised today, and I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Invest in Iowa
The Partnership supports passage of the Invest in Iowa proposal, which would fund the state’s Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund and help fund mental health services.

Dawson said serious consideration will be given to whatever proposal Gov. Reynolds presents, although he suggested other solutions may be pursued.

The $540 million package, which relies on a 1-cent sales tax increase, didn’t advance during last spring’s abbreviated session.

Dawson said Senate Republicans support lowering the income tax and shifting mental health funding from property tax to sales tax, providing property tax relief for some Iowans.

It’s the raising the sale tax by a penny that may cause the greatest consternation for Senate Republicans, Dawson said.

“Our caucus has always had the viewpoint … that we would like to achieve broad-based tax reform,” he said. 

He said that Republicans are eager to work with Reynolds on her goals, but that they may look for “a different way of achieving these goals.”

Wahls said Senate Democrats are excited about Invest Iowa being funded, but have concerns about the governor’s proposal.

“I think the bigger concerns that we have are both changes to the formula and the fact we’re talking about raising a sales tax that has a disproportionate impact on low-income families, especially to try to offset more tax cuts for corporations and higher income folks,” he said. “I think as the governor’s plan was written last year it would be a pretty hard sell in our caucus and we’d have some serious concerns and want to see some changes heading into 2021.”

Grassley cited the complexities of the proposal and said it would be difficult to predict what will happen until Reynolds submits her proposal for 2021.

“There’s so many moving pieces … I think we should just be very mindful to see what the new proposal may look like,” Grassley said.

Justice reform
Konfrst said there are disparities in the criminal justice system that need to be addressed urgently, but there are other inequities that need to be looked at, too, such as achievement gaps in education, disparities in wages for women and people of color, and access to affordable housing.

“We need to have difficult conversations about how we can work to address systemic inequities, not just in criminal justice but across the spectrum,” she said. 

Those barriers need to be removed if Iowa is to reach its full potential, but it’s not going to be an easy fix, Konfrst said.

“We’re not going to fix it in one session,” she said. “We have to keep working on it. We can’t  just … check off a box and say we’ve done some legislation, inequity is fixed in this state. That’s just not the way it is.”

Dawson said the criminal justice system is often seen as a “one-stop shop” to fix everything. The reality is other issues that may bring someone into the system need to be addressed, he said.

“It always kind of concerns me when we try to address an issue … and bridge the inequity gaps, that we’re going to go straight to the criminal justice system,” said Dawson, a chief warrant officer in the Army Reserves. “It’s not built to fix 22 years of bad things that have happened to an individual.

“There’s a lot of issues that we really have to get down to the bottom of that have nothing to do with judges, prosecutors or law enforcement officers,” he said.

Broadband
Wahls said there are challenges facing the push to expand broadband access in Iowa, such as shortages in both workforce and materials.

He said deadlines for some federal funds for broadband expansion expire at the end of 2021, and those deadlines need to be extended for the state to be successful in its effort.

“It’s not just a question of more money on the project,” he said. “We also need more money on workforce development and making sure that our internet service providers are actually able to do the work of getting people in to do these jobs.”

Grassley said broadband will depend heavily on what the state’s budget looks like.

“We recognize it as a very important issue, but we have a lot of groups coming to us right now that COVID has given them some challenges. It’s going to really boil down what that overall budget conversation looks like and where do we have the funds to be put toward what priorities.”

Child care
The conversation about child care revolved around eliminating the “child care cliff,” where residents can lose subsidies for child care if they receive even a small increase in pay at their job.

“We’re dealing with accessibility, cost, workforce. I think it’s a very broad issue. It’s not as simple as one size fits or fixes all the problems,” Grassley said.

He said House Republicans have worked in the past to approve grants to help increase accessibility, provide incentives for businesses and daycare centers to partner, and increase the income eligibility for child care assistance.

Wahls said he would like to see some of the bills passed in the House that addressed the child care issue advance to the Senate in 2021 as the state works to provide relief on the issue that is critical to families and employers.

“I would hope they would be willing to take action that’s commensurate with the challenge,” he said.

Konfrst said it’s critical that comprehensive child care reform be passed in 2021.

“It’s not an urban or rural issue, it’s not just a parent issue — it’s a school issue, it’s a business issue,” she said. “I really want to make sure we can get something done this year.”