Iowa Democrat wears jeans on House floor to protest lack of mask mandate Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register
Pat Grassley speaks to the Iowa House on the first day of the 2021 legislative session
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DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa s Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley has repeatedly said this year that he can t require lawmakers to wear masks on the House floor. So one Democrat decided to find out how he would enforce the chamber s dress code.
Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said she told her Democratic colleagues Sunday night that she would be wearing jeans on the House floor all week in violation of the dress code.
Des Moines Register
Iowa s Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley has repeatedly said this year that he can t require lawmakers to wear masks on the House floor. So one Democrat decided to find out how he would enforce the chamber s dress code.
Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said she told her Democratic colleagues Sunday night that she would be wearing jeans on the House floor all week in violation of the dress code.
House rules adopted last month state that no member of the general assembly or legislative employee or intern shall be admitted to the floor of the House if attired in jeans of any color without leave of the speaker. The jeans rule has been in place for several years, dating back to before Grassley was speaker.
Mask angels, NYC oases, sugar tax: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports, USA TODAY
Alabama
Clanton: The city has lost a second elected official to the coronavirus pandemic six months after the longtime mayor died of COVID-19. City Council member Sammy Wilson died Thursday while in a hospital where he was being treated for the illness caused by the new virus, WBRC-TV reports. A statement by Mayor Jeff Mims said the town of 8,800 people was thankful for Wilson’s service to the community. Council member Mary Mell Smith called Wilson’s death “a big loss.” “He had that big smile on his face every time you saw him,” she said. Wilson died about six months after Billy Joe Driver, who had served as mayor for 36 years before he died of COVID-19 in July. Mims was elected to replace Driver.
IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH
Four people at the Iowa Capitol reported testing positive for the coronavirus since the legislative session began, including two additional cases which were announced over the weekend.
Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, confirmed to multiple news outlets that she was one of the two new cases announced Saturday.
Capitol staff and legislators are not required to announce if they test positive for COVID-19. Nielsen is the first lawmaker to openly report that she contracted the virus since session began Jan. 11.
Lawmakers must be present at the Capitol to vote and to participate in floor debates and committee meetings. In the House of Representatives, only those lawmakers and members of the public who attend in person may speak about the bills during subcommittee meetings; others may submit comments in writing.
The Iowa Legislature has been in session since Jan. 11. Four people who work in the Capitol building have reported positive tests for the coronavirus since then. Rep. Amy Nielsen is the first lawmaker to report a positive test.