Des Moines, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds says a new state law that raised the penalties for rioting and gave police new legal protections for on-the-job activities is a recruiting tool for Iowa law enforcement.
Reynolds discussed the new law in a just-released podcast hosted by Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel.
The podcast was recorded in late August, just as Iowa schools were opening for the fall semester. The pair blasted states where last spring’s standardized tests for students were delayed until this fall.
Federal law requires states to test students each year to gauge progress in reading, math and other skills. Earlier this month, Florida’s Republican governor announced he will end that kind of standardized testing after this school year and replace it with shorter tests. The Republican National Committee’s chairwoman and Governor Reynolds also criticized mask mandates in schools.
Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn says wearing a mask indoors prevents the spread of COVID, and Reynolds is wasting her days and the tax dollars of Iowans by going on partisan talk shows to spout dangerous disinformation about a deadly virus. The Iowa Department of Public Health’s website listing confirmed COVID cases will be updated Wednesday. Last Wednesday’s report found 29 percent of Iowans who had tested positive for COVID in the previous seven days were under the age of 18.
