Kim Reynolds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kim Reynolds
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Reynolds in 2023
|
|
| 43rd Governor of Iowa | |
| Assumed office May 24, 2017 |
|
| Lieutenant |
|
| Preceded by | Terry Branstad |
| Chair of the Republican Governors Association | |
| In office November 17, 2022 – December 7, 2023 |
|
| Preceded by | Doug Ducey Pete Ricketts |
| Succeeded by | Bill Lee |
| 46th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa | |
| In office January 14, 2011 – May 24, 2017 |
|
| Governor | Terry Branstad |
| Preceded by | Patty Judge |
| Succeeded by | Adam Gregg |
| Member of the Iowa Senate from the 48th district |
|
| In office January 11, 2009 – January 2, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Jeff Angelo |
| Succeeded by | Joni Ernst |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kimberly Kay Strawn
August 4, 1959 St. Charles, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Kevin Reynolds
(m. 1982) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Terrace Hill |
| Education | Iowa State University (BLS) |
| Signature |  |
Kimberly Kay Reynolds (born August 4, 1959) is an American politician. She is the 43rd Governor of Iowa. She has held this job since 2017. Before becoming governor, she was the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017. She is a member of the Republican Party.
Reynolds served as the treasurer for Clarke County for four terms. This was from 1994 onwards. She then served a short time in the Iowa Senate from 2009 to 2011. She became governor in May 2017. This happened when Governor Terry Branstad left his job. He became the United States ambassador to China. She was elected for a full term as governor in 2018. She was reelected in 2022.
Governor Reynolds has made changes to the Iowa Supreme Court. She has also worked closely with the Iowa pork industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she did not support face mask rules.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kimberly Kay Strawn was born in St. Charles, Iowa. She finished high school in 1977. She went to the Interstate 35 Community School District.
Reynolds took classes at several colleges. These included Northwest Missouri State University and Southeastern Community College. She also studied at Southwestern Community College. In 2012, she started classes at Upper Iowa University. She earned a degree from Iowa State University in 2016. It was a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree.
Beginning Her Political Career
Reynolds served as the treasurer for Clarke County for four terms. On November 4, 2008, she was elected to the Iowa Senate. She represented the 48th district. In 2010, Reynolds supported a ban on same-sex marriage in Iowa.
Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (2011-2017)
On June 25, 2010, Terry Branstad chose Reynolds to be his running mate. He was running for governor. She became the candidate for lieutenant governor. She officially received the Republican nomination the next day. On November 2, 2010, Branstad and Reynolds won the election. Reynolds left her Senate job on November 12. She then became lieutenant governor.
Reynolds started her job as lieutenant governor on January 14, 2011. She helped lead the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She also worked with the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress board. She was also Branstad's representative for the Iowa State Fair board. In July 2015, she became the chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.
Governor of Iowa (2017–Present)
Becoming Governor
On May 24, 2017, Reynolds became the governor of Iowa. This happened when Governor Branstad resigned. He left to become the United States Ambassador to China. She is the first woman to be governor of Iowa.
When Reynolds became governor, the lieutenant governor job became empty. Reynolds announced that Adam Gregg would be the acting lieutenant governor. To avoid legal issues, her team said he would not hold the official title. He would not take over if Reynolds could not serve.
Key Actions as Governor
In 2018, Reynolds suggested cutting money from Medicaid. This program helps low-income adults, children, and people with disabilities. In 2020, she proposed raising the state sales tax. She also suggested lowering the state income tax.
In 2018, Reynolds said same-sex marriage was a "settled" issue. This was after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. She said she did not have to follow her party's platform against same-sex marriage.
Reynolds has supported some of Donald Trump's ideas. She blocked many requests from the state Attorney General. These requests were to join lawsuits against Trump's policies. These included policies on immigration and the environment. In 2018, she said Trump's trade policies were hurting farmers. But she believed farmers would benefit in the end. She appeared with Trump during the 2020 presidential campaign. After Trump lost, she did not speak out against his claims about the election. She did not recognize Joe Biden's win until January 2021. She did say she was against the storming of the Capitol.
In May 2018, Reynolds signed a bill to update Iowa's energy policies.
Reynolds began her first full term as governor on January 18, 2019. In March 2019, she signed a law. It requires public universities to protect all speech on campus. She has appointed judges who have shifted the Iowa Supreme Court to the right.
In December 2019, Reynolds started a campaign against vaping. It was on social media. The goal was to reduce vaping among young people in Iowa. In July 2020, she signed a law. It raised the legal age to buy tobacco products to 21. This included vaping products.
From 2017 to April 2020, Reynolds gave voting rights back to 543 felons. This was more than her predecessor had done. In August 2020, she signed an order. It allowed felons to vote after finishing their sentences. Iowa used to have a very strict law. It banned felons from voting for life.
Reynolds has a close connection with the Iowa pork industry. This includes Iowa Select Farms. This company is one of the largest pork producers in the country. In 2019, she took part in a charity auction for the company's owners' foundation. The owners had given a lot of money to her campaigns. In 2020, her team arranged for COVID-19 testing. This was done at locations linked to campaign donors. This happened when many vulnerable people could not get tested quickly.
In March 2021, Reynolds signed a bill. It changed voting rules in Iowa. It shortened voting hours on Election Day. It also reduced the early voting period. This was part of a wider effort by Republicans to change voting access.
On April 2, 2021, Reynolds signed a bill. It allows people to buy and carry handguns without a permit. This is called constitutional carry. Later that month, she signed another law. It allows landlords to refuse tenants who use Section 8 vouchers for rent.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reynolds did not support face mask mandates. She declared a disaster emergency on March 9, 2020. She ordered some businesses and schools to close. She also stopped "non-essential" surgeries. But she did not order people to stay at home.
In April 2020, health officials told Reynolds to enforce mask rules. They also advised her not to ease restrictions. She decided to reopen the economy. She encouraged people to be responsible and wear masks. She did not require masks in public until November 2020. Then, she ordered masks at large gatherings. She said the effectiveness of masks was not settled. However, many doctors and scientists agreed that masks helped stop the virus.
In April 2020, Reynolds signed a $26 million contract. It was with a company called Nomi Health. They developed a COVID-19 testing program called TestIowa.
In July 2020, Reynolds said she would not allow some school districts to limit in-person classes. She wanted students to spend at least half their time in classrooms. The state teachers' union did not agree with her. Teachers sent her their obituaries to protest. In January 2021, Reynolds signed a bill. It required school districts to offer full-time in-person classes if parents asked.
In November 2020, Reynolds issued a statewide mask mandate. This required anyone over age 2 to wear a mask indoors. This was a change from her earlier stance. She said, "No one wants to do this. I don't want to do this." She added that if Iowans did not follow it, businesses would close.
In February 2021, Reynolds removed mask requirements in public places. She also removed limits on indoor dining. She did this without talking to health experts. The CDC had asked states not to loosen their health measures.
In March 2021, Reynolds spoke against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. She said it would help states that had strict shutdowns. In September 2021, she praised $100 million in funding for Iowa's water. This funding came from the same bill.
In May 2021, Reynolds signed a bill. It stopped businesses and local governments from requiring proof of vaccination. She also signed a bill that stopped school districts from requiring masks.
Recent Actions (2022–Present)
On March 1, 2022, Reynolds was chosen to give the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech. On March 3, 2022, she signed a bill. It bans transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams.
In January 2023, Reynolds signed the Students First Act. This law makes private school vouchers available. On March 22, 2023, she signed a law. It bans certain medical treatments for minors. These include puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgery. She also signed a law that stops people from using school restrooms that do not match their sex at birth.
In November 2023, Reynolds supported Ron DeSantis for president. She said she did not think Trump could win the election. She later supported Trump in March 2024.
In 2024, Reynolds signed a bill. It allows state police to arrest undocumented migrants. This is if they were deported before. The bill also lets state courts order deportations. On February 1, 2024, she introduced a bill. It defines "man" and "woman" based on reproductive anatomy. It also requires official IDs to list sex at birth.
Personal Life
Kim Reynolds married Kevin Reynolds in 1982. They have three children. Reynolds attends the Lutheran Church of Hope. Kevin Reynolds was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 2023.
Images for kids
-
Kim Reynolds' signature
See also
In Spanish: Kim Reynolds para niños
