In a joint letter to the House and Senate Oversight Committee chairs, the top Democrats on each committee, Senator Claire Celsi of West Des Moines and Representative Ruth Ann Gaines of Des Moines, write that they were “flabbergasted to discover that Governor Reynolds sent $95 million in COVID-19 testing funding back to the U.S. Federal Government instead of giving schools the option to use it for COVID-19 testing protocols in their districts.”
Letter contents:
May 3, 2021
Senator Jason Schultz
State Representative Holly Brink
Re: House and Senate Oversight Committee – Request to meet in 2021 Legislative Session
Dear Senator Schultz and Representative Brink:
Greetings to you both and Happy Spring. It’ll be great to get out of the Capitol and enjoy the interim.
We’re writing today with concern over many issues, but with great urgency on one issue in particular. The billions of dollars sent to Iowa in the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan must be spent according to complicated and sometimes strict rules. We want to assure that the Reynolds Administration spend the money in accordance with the rules to the benefit of Iowans.
We were flabbergasted to discover that Governor Reynolds sent $95 million in COVID-19 testing funding back to the U.S. Federal Government instead of giving schools the option to use it for COVID-19 testing protocols in their districts.
It is our collective responsibility to monitor the disbursement of these funds to ensure it is being used for its intended purpose. Iowans deserve to know where the money is going and what it is being used for. At the end of the statutory spending period, they also deserve to know how much (if any) was leftover and how much should be sent back.
We’re calling on both of you to convene Government Oversight meetings in the House and Senate so committee members can discuss protocols for conducting oversight on this Federal funding stream. We are all accountable to the taxpayers and voters in Iowa and we should be very concerned about managing it.
Please call or email us as soon as possible to discuss timing of this proposed meeting. We would also be open to meeting jointly as the issue equally concerns both bodies.
Sincerely,
Claire Celsi
State Senator
Ruth Ann Gaines
State Representative
In Windham, New Hampshire, a town of about 14,000 near the Massachusetts border, a state legislative race was thrown into disarray when a recount found major discrepancies with the original total.
election time will show how stupid covid-kim is. bye-bye
Kim Reaper
Never turned down ANY covid relief money – turned down money from feds to relocate bidens sociaist illegals in Iowa – she told them to ship them to BLUE states – they created the problem let them suffer for it. GOOD JOB KIM !
Amen
EXACTLY!!!!!
Stupid Covid Kim has ruined the great state of Iowa!
Sounds like you need to move!
The 95 million was not for the covid crap – as last week it was government money to be spent for immigration stuff -you know like housing -med – etc. all to be spent as the gov. said – she did not want their money as they would take control of immigration in Iowa – we would have to take what ever number of illegals the swamp sent us. Eventually Iowans would be also moneywise liable for some costs – she more or less said its your problem-U created it so U handle it – this was not part of the covid money -that was separate – if you watched Ingram last week a group of red State govoners were on and this was discussed – the lady here is dishing out disinformation.
Wow. Your information is so wrong.
and you know this, how?
Because I have good reading comprehension skills which you obviously lack.
your good reading comprehension skills hasn’t proved anything!
Exactly , even though news sources say it was for testing etc.. it was for immigration which we already said we would not take any . So why would the Fed give us 90 mil to handle a problem we turned away. What that money is really for is Chinese lobbyists to strip the 2nd ammendment away and to substitute the word pizza for gun anywhere that it appears in the english language. I hate those democrats .
Do you like to just stir the pot with lies or are you really that stupid of a dumbass?
Never-mind, I’ve read some of your other comments and you are indeed a dumbass.
just pot stirring is all . I’m not really a dumbass.
I take it you’re not either. Have a great day