(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans, with the support of a handful of Democrats, have voted to limit the powers future governors would be able to exercise in emergencies. The bill would bar governors from ordering the closure of churches or businesses and it would require legislative approval of any election-related changes. Governors could not shut down churches, private businesses. Representative John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake, says it’s designed to restore balance after what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your body belongs to you — no forced vaccines under emergency powers,” Wills said. “And most importantly we give ourselves and the Legislative Council when we’re not in session, the ‘kill switch’ to end any emergency proclamation with a simple majority vote.” Representative Beth Wessell-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, was among the 30 House members who voted against the bill.

“I choose to lean in on the side of safety of all Iowans in the case of an emergency,” Wessell-Kroeschell said. “We don’t know what that next emergency will be.” Democrats say Republicans are advancing this and other bills to limit the authority of future Iowa governors in case Democrat Rob Sand is elected in November.

One bill would shorten the terms for the people governors appoint to state boards and commissions and require legislative approval for rules written by state agencies to implement Iowa laws. Another sets up a system that would keep state government operating on the previous year’s spending levels if the legislature and governor cannot agree on a new state budget by July 1st.