Cedar Rapids lawmaker wants legislative session delayed [View all]

DES MOINES — Republicans in control of the Iowa Legislature are being asked to move back the planned June 3 restart of the 2020 session due to safety concerns over drawing lawmakers and the public to the Capitol when Polk County continues to be a “coronavirus hotbed” in Iowa.

GOP leaders say they are sticking with their plan for lawmakers to resume their in-person work at the Capitol on Wednesday with the expectation of finishing a fiscal 2021 state budget plan and other essential work the following week.

Legislators — who suspended their session March 16 as part of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus — and limited staff will operate under new health, safety and social-distancing guidelines designed to accommodate their committee and floor debate work.

Lobbyists and interested Iowans will be able to view the proceedings remotely or in designated areas of the Capitol.

Read more: https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/cedar-rapids-lawmaker-wants-legislative-session-delayed/article_25139a1d-56f6-5d25-a632-f39dc86656d4.html
[The Courier (Waterloo; Cedar Falls; Overland Park)]