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The governor’s proposed constitutional amendment to automatically restore felon voting rights won’t win approval from the whole Iowa Legislature this year that’s
after Republicans on a Senate committee declined to consider the proposal ahead of a statehouse deadline.
One of Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ top priorities this year is taking the first step in passing a constitutional amendment to restore felon voting rights after a person completes their sentence.
The House passed it 95 to 2, but Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale says there wasn’t enough support among his fellow Republicans on the judiciary committee to advance it this year.
0404zaun2: 08 “I’m not saying this won’t move next year. There need to be some conditions. Nowhere is there any conversations about victims.”
Reynolds says she’s disappointed by the setback, but she’s committed to getting this done. Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen called this a “shameful” decision and called on Reynolds to restore felon voting rights with an executive order.
The University of Iowa released a plan today (Thursday) to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at the school. The strategy is based on a campus survey that found overall satisfaction varies according to demographics and personal identity
The survey shows immigrants, LGBTQ people, those with disabilities, and members of underrepresented minority groups are less satisfied than their peers. University leaders have set goals to improve this.