Like most groups in the world right now, the Iowa Legislature is taking an break from action as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Representative Chris Hagenow, (R) District 19, says while work is still being done by individual legislators at the moment, progress has been much slower than if the session was still active. To compound that, Hagenow points out they can’t take any votes until the assembly reconvenes, which will be mid April at the earliest, and he’s unsure what sort of agenda they’ll be able to tackle upon returning. He adds, a point of certainty is that state finances for the current year and next will be their primary focus. “I think the biggest issue that remains that we’re talking about is trying to get our minds around what we’re going to do with the state budget next year, because I think all of us expect that we’re going to be facing an economic downturn. But without any hard numbers to work off of, it’s really hard to try and pinpoint exactly where we need to be on that. So that’s probably the biggest topic of conversation among legislators right now.”

Hagenow encourages constituents to reach out to him with their concerns, and emphasizes he has a lot of time to listen to and answer people’s questions. To contact Hagenow by phone or email, click the first link below. For more information on the current legislative session, click the second link to listen to the recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Hagenow.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=88&personID=6584
https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2020/03/30/lets-talk-dallas-county-3-30-2020-chris-hagenow/