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Taxes, Masks, & Sine Die

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Iowa's Capitol in the final weeks of the 2021 legislative session.
John Pemble / IPR
Iowa's Capitol in the final weeks of the 2021 legislative session.

The 2021 legislative session ended after agreements between the House and Senate on tax and budget proposals. In the final week, a large omnibus tax bill passed both chambers. It includes a section to remove backfill payments to cities and counties.

Hours before the session adjourned, a bill prohibiting mandates for masks and face coverings in schools and private businesses was introduced. It passed, and around midnight, was signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds. It was effective immediately, making some mask mandates across the state unenforceable as of Thursday morning.

John Pemble is IPR's Technical Producer, News, with expertise in audio recording and production, hosting, and reporting. Pemble is also an accomplished journalist and podcast producer, and has won multiple awards for his podcast production work and audio reporting.