mikekben@grinnell.edu
Legislation to restrict the teaching about systemic racism in Iowa public schools died before it could reach the governor, but state lawmakers have since passed a new law that restricts early voting, and are pushing ahead during a busy session with legislation to loosen gun control and fund charter schools. Grinnell’s state Representative Dave Maxwell explained his role in the legislature and his views on controversial legislation at a virtual March 6 event hosted by Grinnell’s League of Women Voters.
Grinnell’s newly elected state Senator Dawn Driscoll did not attend the event because of a family emergency, according to Marta Miller of the League of Women Voters, who moderated the event. Driscoll and Maxwell were part of a wave of Republican victories last November which resulted in majorities in both the state House (59 of 100 seats) and state Senate (32 of 50 seats). Republicans also hold the governorship, meaning they have total control over Iowa’s government.