Just a week into the 2021 legislative session the Washington Chamber of Commerce held its first of four briefings with the area’s local lawmakers Saturday.

Around 20 people were in attendance for the event held over Zoom, in which Chamber Executive Director Michelle Redlinger moderated questions between attendees and state representatives Jarad Klein and Joe Mitchell, and state senators Kevin Kinney and Jeff Reichman. Kalona resident James Graham asked whether lawmakers are considering taking any action regarding the governor’s emergency powers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Klein was the first to respond, “The discussions are happening, there’s nothing in writing or anything at this point. A lot of what we’re doing, we’re still trying to catch up from last year with bills that were just left on the table but I can assure you discussions are happening in and around the building.”

Local teacher Lisa Hixson asked whether the legislators support Governor Kim Reynolds’ proposal to require that all Iowa schools provide a 100% in-person learning option. The three Republican legislators all voiced support for Governor Reynolds’ proposal, while Kinney contrasted, “My view’s a little different, I served on a school board for nine years, there’s gotta be some local control and each area of the state is different. What’s happening in Des Moines or what’s happening in Kalona are two totally different things so I still think that there needs to be some more local control there.”

The briefing lasted about two hours, and involved discussion of other topics including economic development, higher education funding, domestic violence, and the bottle bill. The next briefing will be held on Saturday, February 20th at 10 a.m. on Zoom.