Capitol Letters: Civil Rights for Every Iowan

In just a week, Governor Reynolds signed a sweeping bill passed by GOP lawmakers to take away civil rights from some of our fellow Iowans. Meanwhile, a host of ideas to lower costs for Iowans are still stalled.

Even with Iowa’s long history of supporting civil rights, we became the first state in the nation to actually take away civil rights protections in Iowa law from some in the LGBTQ+ community.  The bill means banks can deny loans and credit cards based on gender identity. Landlords will be able to deny Iowans from renting an apartment. Employers can fire someone, and businesses can deny basic services like healthcare to Iowans for just being who they are.

Every Iowan - including those who are transgender - deserves to live freely and be treated fairly by the laws of our state without fear of discrimination.

The bi-partisan opposition to the bill was as strong as the speed with which GOP leaders pushed through the bill to try and shield themselves from more criticism.  Over 2,500 Iowans showed up at the State Capitol last Thursday to stand up for the rights of our fellow Iowans. Thousands and thousands more Iowans sent emails, registered against this bill online, and called state lawmakers to stop this bill.

My sincere thanks to all the Iowans who showed up to support civil rights for everyone. While we lost a tough battle, I’m never going to give up fighting for the civil rights of my fellow Iowans.
As I’ve said since session began, Iowans are tired of politics and expect us to work together to make their lives better.

Instead of the divisive debate we had last week, I believe we should have been working on bills to lower costs for Iowans. It’s why House Democrats introduced another legislative package to make childcare more affordable and accessible.

With so many families struggling to find quality childcare and monthly costs topping $800 per month or more for families, it’s a crisis we can’t afford to ignore any longer. Here’s what we can do to lower the cost of childcare for Iowans:
* Lower Childcare Costs - Expand the state’s Child & Dependent Care Tax Credit to 100% of the federal credit
* Support Childcare Workers - Create a Childcare Workforce Matching Grant program to raise wages and expand benefits for workers while also improving the quality of the working environment
* Expand Childcare Options - Childcare tax credits for small businesses that provide childcare employee benefits
* Broaden State Assistance - Makes more families eligible for the state’s Childcare Assistance program and increase provider rates which includes more childcare workers

Childcare isn’t a partisan issue, there’s plenty of room to get something meaningful passed this session. While a few childcare bills have passed in recent years, the small changes enacted don’t provide the relief our families or the childcare workforce need.

Here’s the bottom line: every divisive bill pushed by the Governor and GOP leaders means there is less time to focus on the bills that matter most to Iowans - putting more money in their pockets and making their lives better.

If the GOP leaders can push through major changes to Iowa’s Civil Rights Act in just a few days, there’s no reason they can’t bring up bills to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, housing, and childcare this year. They simply have to put politics aside to get it done.

It’s people over politics.