Republicans and Democrats in the Iowa Legislature say they plan to pay special focus on bridging the stateâs so-called "digital divide." Lawmakers said they intend to push forward additional funding and legislation to facilitate continued expansion of high-speed broadband internet across the state, with more and more Iowans working and learning from home and accessing medical care online. The Iowa Legislative session begins Monday. House Speaker Pat Grassley has established a new Information Technology Committee in the Iowa House, to examine broadband and cyber security issues and focus on state technology infrastructure. "I think those were issues that we knew were on our radar that needed to be addressed but I think that (the pandemic) amplified them and put them right in our face," Grassley, R-New Hartford, said of broadband expansion moving to the forefront this session.