Opinion

 COVID-19 Update

     I joined a number of other legislators in taking the opportunity to conference call with the Governor’s office on April 1 and had the chance to ask many of the questions I’ve been hearing from all around the district. I’d like to share with you a summary of what I learned after an hour-long exchange with the Governor’s Chief of Staff.

To the Editor,

     The employees of Karde’s Cedar Street (C-Store) and Karde’s 151 would like to thank Mike and Dean Cox for their conscious effort to recognize their employees during this difficult time. While many corporations and large businesses have given their employees a wage increase during this time, we want to openly knowledge them as a privately owned company that has taken it upon themselves to do the same. While we are all going through this together, it makes it much easier to know we are working for people that truly care for their employees.

To the Editor,

     COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of our daily lives, but one thing has stayed the same–our American spirit to persevere even during the toughest of times.

     As Secretaries of State, we are natural risk managers, with 40 of us serving as our state’s Chief Election Official. In this capacity, we routinely plan for countless scenarios, from cybersecurity incidents, tornadoes, and even cars crashing into polling places (yes, this does actually happen).

     On Monday, March 16 and into early that Tuesday morning, the Iowa Legislature passed a series of resolutions to pause the legislative session for 30 days while the state works to slow the spread of COVID-19. I’m finally sitting down to share some thoughts and the recent work in the legislature. I appreciate everyone’s patience, words of support, and realizing this is a very fluid situation that unfortunately doesn’t come with a playbook. This situation is moving swiftly and I am glad we are all back in our districts to assist our constituents and work from home.