Reynolds signs ‘Back the Blue’ legislation
BPC Staff Jun 18, 2021 | 4:01 pm
<1 min read time
75 wordsAll Latest News, Government Policy and Law, Statewide NewsDes Moines Register: Surrounded by police officers, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed polarizing legislation Thursday that strengthens legal protections for police and creates steeper penalties for protest-related crimes such as rioting and unlawful assembly. Critics say the harsher sentences will chill free speech, and a nonpartisan analysis said the law will disproportionately affect Black Iowans. But Reynolds, a Republican, said law enforcement officers must know that their governor, their Legislature and their state stand behind them.