Democrats are warning about the potential spread of Covid-19 in the Iowa Statehouse this week as the 2021 legislative session gets underway. Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, is accusing Republican leaders of acting like Covid is no big deal.

The top G-O-P leaders in the legislature say they are strongly encouraging lawmakers to wear masks when they can’t socially distance, but they say the Constitution doesn’t give them the power to force elected officials to cover their faces. Democrats have tried, but failed this week to get their Republican colleagues to agree to mask mandates in committee rooms.