Iowa GOP, stop eroding local control
Opinions: The Gazette, Sunday, September 6, 2026
How many times have we heard about “states’ rights” and “government overreach” in response to federal policies? An internet search shows Iowa’s Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird sued the Biden administration at least six times over policies she didn’t like.
But at the state level, Iowa Republicans see no problem with mandating policies for our county and city governments. The Iowa Legislature outlawed basic income programs that give residents living in poverty a reliable financial foundation. The law was a response to a single local pilot program that allowed participants to pay down debt, buy a car or start a business.
And following the 2020 police murder of George Floyd, Cedar Rapids residents worked with city leaders to create a citizen review board. This cooperative effort allowed residents transparency into police practices and a way to address citizen concerns. The program increased trust between residents and law enforcement. But the Iowa Legislature said we can’t have that!
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed another law this year banning communities from offering broader civil rights protections than the state guarantees. This extends the 2025 law that removed gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. And lawmakers passed the original law so Iowa residents can no longer cite the act in suing the state over any of its slew of anti-transgender laws.
Another proposed bill would transfer control of public libraries from library boards to city councils. Why? Republican lawmakers seem fixated on ensuring children don’t access “pornography” in our libraries. This “fix” addresses a non-existent problem. But when you call every idea you oppose “pornography,” then you tend to see pornography everywhere.
Reynolds signed a bill that prohibits locally issued identification cards. State lawmakers said this reduces confusion and ensures consistency across Iowa. But the consistency argument falls apart when compared to an earlier law. State lawmakers mandated how three of Iowa’s 99 counties elect supervisors. Our lawmakers’ call for consistency in one case while mandating inconsistency in another is itself inconsistent. Control is the real goal.
Reynolds also enacted a law that forces local compliance with the governor’s order to fly the U.S. and Iowa flags at half-staff at public buildings. It is just retaliation for a single county supervisor’s refusal to heed the governor’s order last year.
The point is that we, the people, elect our neighbors to address our local needs who understand the issues facing our communities. We don’t want the state to override local authority any more than the state wants the federal government to override the state’s authority. Let us run our own affairs. We don’t want your government overreach!
Gordie Felger Hiawatha