Iowa lawmakers are racing to the finish line, trying to set a budget and wrap up business in a session extended after a ten-week suspension. Representative Dustin Hite says the House passed a bill and so has the Senate limiting liability for businesses owners reopening in the pandemic.

While the measure is supported by the leaders and owners of hospitals, restaurants, grocery stores, casinos, bankers, meat processors, truckers and insurance companies, labor unions, Iowa State Bar Association, and American Civil Liberties Union are among those opposing the bill with Democrats, who claim it goes too far to reduce the rights of employees who may have difficulty returning to work during the pandemic.

Hite argues the bill only solidifies protections and gives certainty to those reopening and following guidelines issued by the Iowa Department of Public Health and Governor’s Office. The session continues as the Iowa House and Senate attempt to reconcile the 2021 fiscal year budget and other measures.