Ugly Politics with Unintended Consequences

 When is bipartisanship not bipartisanship? When it is Iowa House File 902 which was passed in a record time. This bill allows exemptions for medical and religious reasons for employees to not be vaccinated for COVID-19. And yes, Democrats did vote for it, but not for the reasons Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds would like you to think. Reynolds said of the bill, “I am proud to sign this bipartisan piece of legislation today. This is a major step forward in protecting Iowans’ freedoms and their abilities to make healthcare decisions based on what’s best for themselves and their families. This legislation also gives employees the assurance that they will still receive unemployment benefits despite being fired for standing up for their beliefs. As I’ve stated publicly numerous times, I believe the vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19 and we’ve provided Iowans with the information they need to determine what’s best for themselves and their families, but no Iowan should be forced to lose their job or livelihood over the COVID-19 vaccine."

So let's dissect this. Will Iowans not lose their jobs if their employer chooses to terminate employment (in compliance with the Federal mandate) for them not getting it? The answer so far is yes, they will lose their jobs, but thanks to this bill, they will still be able to claim unemployment benefits which typically are about $200 a week. Not the same thing.  The truth is people can be fired and likely will be.

Secondly, Reynolds says that she believes the vaccine to be the best defense against the virus but won't support the employers who want to protect their employees. How pro-business is that? Frankly, how pro-people is that?

Thirdly, is this a bipartisan bill? No, it was drafted entirely by the Republican membership and thrust for a vote. True that Democrats voted for it, but it was for the part that made sure that people were able to still qualify for unemployment despite their beliefs. It will be interesting to explore when Democrats ask Republicans to support a bill that allows an employee to collect unemployment for quitting to protest a company policy that does not align with their personal, religious, or medical beliefs (e.g., when their company dumps swine waste into the water supply).

To be sure, this bill is wrong for Iowans for a lot of reasons, but at the end of the day, it is worse because it really did not take into account bipartisan positions. People having to share their religious beliefs or medical backgrounds is a slippery slope for the freedom-loving Republicans, but it was the Democrats that had to remind them of this. I recommend that you read the Bleeding Heartland's story on this and then ask yourself, is this the kind of politics Iowa needs?