Newly elected Iowa Senator for the 6th District, Republican Craig Williams, has served as Chair for the Carroll County Republicans and has been involved in politics for years. However, this coming Monday, as the Iowa 2021 legislative session convenes, will be a whole new experience for him.
For about a month now, Williams has been attending caucus meetings to get together with other senators to discuss what may be coming up. They also review the decorum of the senate and how to vote, getting them acclimated to where things are and how they work. This week, however, drew attention away from that as a protest in Washington, D.C. turned violent. Williams says this was not America’s finest hour.
Williams agrees with Iowa House Representative, Brian Best, that the Iowa election was handled well and neither has questions about any associated fraud. He says it is when races are close when problems start to show up. Williams believes states have the right to run their own elections, but the courts should not be allowed to change laws that have been enacted by the legislature.
He adds that the rhetoric surrounding Wednesday’s event is being fueled from many different angles, particularly on social media.
Williams will be sitting on five committees in his first year: Commerce, Ag and Natural Resources, Government Oversight, Local Government and Appropriations. The last, he says, is familiar to most Iowa residents.
He cautions, however, that these are estimates, not realities and believes the legislature needs to be conservative to ensure they are not spending money the state does not have. Williams believes the priorities going in are going to be education, how their money is spent and what can be done to help the public school system through the pandemic. Mental health and Medicaid are long-term issues that really need the attention of the legislature as well, he says. The full interview with Senator Williams can be found with this story on our website.
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Full interview with Iowa 6th District Senator, Craig Williams:
https://www.1380kcim.com/episode/kcim-interview-state-senator-craig-williams/
