The promise of hope

As I once again write this week's newsletter from my kitchen table I can’t help think-ing of the struggles we are facing together, but I am also feeling encouraged. While our state and nation are experienc-ing challenges never seen in my lifetime – we still have hope! As I call to check on friends and family, most are doing well in this new solitude. A quick look out my window – the tender flowers and green yard bear witness to Spring and warmer weather ahead. No less important, being Easter week-end, is our faith that we hold fast to.

Many churches have can-celled live services to be proac-tive in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Instead, many are making their services available online. I was even able to "at-tend" the Iowa Prayer Break-fast virtually this week. We are still able to make contact with our loved ones during this special weekend, as well. I would encourage you to partic-ipate in Face-time, Skype, Zoom or other forms of elec-tronic communication as we celebrate at home. It is also a time for a very personal cele-bration of the resurrection, and for my Jewish friends, the Passover.

Legislative Update

As I write this newsletter, the Legislature is still suspend-ed until at least April 30. I suspect the suspension may be extended, as the State will continue to deal with taking appropriate health precautions when handling large numbers of people assembled in small areas, such as the Capitol. Additionally Iowa must deter-mine how and under what reg-ulatory conditions the State can utilize Federal dollars from the recent Federal legislation as we turn our focus to the fiscal year 2021 budget. Uncertainty and the speed of change will make this a challenging pro-cess. I am so privileged to work with my colleagues as we dialogue and glean best prac-tices from other states moving forward.

Business Impact

The focus of our Nation and State’s economy continues to be tied to the coronavirus. Clearly, in one metric, Iowa is mirroring the Nation – unem-ployment.

Nationally, 6.6 million new unemployment claims were filed last week, down slightly from the previous week when more than 6.8 million new claims were filed, leaving us with a 5.1 percent unemployment rate according to the U.S. Labor Department.

Since March 17, thousands of Iowa businesses have been ordered closed in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. A record 67,334 Iowans filed for initial unemployment bene-fits last week, 15 percent high-er than the number of first-time claims filed the previous week. In addition, another 92,962 Iowans continued to collect unemployment during the week ending April 4. In total, 160,296 Iowans filed unem-ployment claims according to newly released data from Iowa Workforce Development.

For most of the last year, Iowa has had one of the low-est unemployment rates in the United States. It is my hope that we return to that level when these virus mitigation protections are eased.

I am so thankful that our Economic Emergency fund is full and that we resisted spend-ing the ending balance. Iowa entered this crisis with a strong budget position and it will help us maintain a more stable envi-ronment as we exit this crisis. The Governor has done a great job leading Iowa and managing wisely. Education Update

Education of our students has been a big concern for me, and likely for all of us. I have young grandchildren and I have several nieces who are teachers. I have been in contact with some of our local school superintendents to find out how our students and faculty are handling the new learning environment. I am excited to hear how teachers are embrac-ing a new way to reach stu-dents and parents are engaging to help their kids keep learning. There is no way to address every need of every student or to maintain the same support given inside the walls of our schools. Nevertheless, I am encouraged to hear that many schools are doing all they can for as many students as they can. The Department of Educa-tion and the Governor have given great latitude in how learning is done, but doing nothing is not an option. Keeping our students engaged and encouraged in their learn-ing (whether from books or online) is so essential at this time.

I would also like to high-light the childcare providers in both Clear Lake and Hampton who are caring for the children of those folks providing essen-tial services such as health care and public safety providers.

COVID-19 Update

This week, during one of her daily press conferences, Gov. Reynolds once again explained how she and her team monitor the State and the strategy employed for battling COVID-19. I continue to sup-port her policy and leadership. The following link is an excel-lent CDC guide for mitigation strategies for COVID-19 transmission. Gov. Reynolds previously shared this data and it forms the basis for her strat-egy: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation...

Additionally, one of the tools that the Governor uses is the Regional Assessment Map, where the state is divided into six regions. State epidemiolo-gists process real-time data to determine mitigation measures needed to combat COVID-19 in Iowa. It is serving us well that these regions have been utilized by Iowa Department of Public Health for many years based on patient transportation statistics for hospital prepared-ness purposes.

During Gov. Reynolds’ April 9 Press Conference she provided updates on the six regions, as pictured be-low. Consistent with what she has shared many times, not all portions of the State are cur-rently impacted in the same manner and a broad “shelter-in-place” order does not make sense. As you will see, Re-gions 2, 3, and 4 have relative-ly few people hospitalized for COVID-19. Regions 1, 5, and 6 have a higher number, which is not particularly surprising considering the population levels in those areas, but even these statistics are relatively modest.

As the Governor has also detailed, the Iowa Department of Public Health, is examining the concentration of cases in more detail. As an example, a high number of cases in Re-gion 6, which includes Cedar Rapids/Linn County, have experienced a large outbreak in a single nursing home. To de-termine what should be done within the entire region must have this type of “drill-down” analysis.

It is interesting to note Dr. Fauci, the Nation’s new favor-ite doctor and the face for the Nation’s battle against COVID-19, has analyzed Io-wa’s COVID-19 response efforts. The transcript of his overview at the April 6 Coro-navirus Task Force press con-ference is as follows:

“I had good conversations with the Governor of Nebraska and the Governor of Iowa. It’s interesting that functionally even though they have not given a strict stay-at-home order, what they are doing, is really functionally equivalent to that. We had a really good conversation with both of the governors. When I had men-tioned that, I think there was a public response that they weren’t really doing anything at all and they really are doing a very good job, both of them. Those were the only two that I spoke to but it was a really good conversation and I want to make sure people under-stand that just because they don’t have a very strict stay-at-home order, they have in place a lot of things that are totally compatible with what everyone else is doing.”

While there are still critics, I believe Gov. Reynolds is doing a very good job leading our sate during these very uncer-tain times and dealing with a type of medical crisis not seen in over a hundred years. I started this newsletter with hope and I end it the same. Our governor and her advisors are handling this crisis. We can all do our part to help: give blood, provide grocery shop-ping or meal deliveries to our aged neighbors, practice social distancing and good cleanliness habits. Stay well and be en-couraged.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please feel free to reach out. You can contact me by email at Lin-da.Upmeyer@legis.iowa.gov or by phone at 515-281-3551.