Government Reform

“In Iowa’s most recent election, we saw record turnout despite a widespread health crisis in large part thanks to universal distribution of absentee ballot requests by state election officials. But now, even as our public health officials have made it clear that coronavirus will not be completely gone by November, the Iowa Senate has advanced a measure that outlaws that proactive outreach. This could force vulnerable Iowans to choose between their health and their inalienable right to vote this fall, and it amounts to blatant voter suppression. I’m glad that members of the Iowa House of Representatives have removed that outright restriction in their version of the bill, and I’m calling on state legislative leaders and Governor Reynolds to approve a final version of this election bill that protects Iowans’ right to safely vote. I also urge Secretary of State Pate to affirm, for the sake of Iowans who remain at an elevated risk for coronavirus, that he will employ a similar outreach program this fall to protect Iowa voters.”

Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) announced the addition of $215,378,024 to her Iowa COVID-19 Response Tracker after receiving a breakdown of federal funding received by the Iowa Department of Human Services last week.

With the addition of these funding details, the tracker now includes details for how nearly $9.5 billion have been spent in Iowa in response to the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis.

“Last year’s flooding devastated our rural communities and left the families with these properties in western Fremont County inundated with more than 8 feet of water for a long time – crippling their ability to heal and get back to normal,” said Rep. Axne. “With this critical funding, we can give these Iowans a fresh start by buying out their damaged properties at their original value. I’m glad to see this additional assistance coming to help our families stay on the road to full recovery.”