Opening Day Address by Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman (R) HD

Transcript: It is now my opportunity and privilege to give some opening remarks. Friends, family, colleagues, and to our newly elected Senator, it is my honor to welcome you to the 2022 legislative session. I’ve always enjoyed the first day of session. It’s a time in which friends and colleagues are reunited, hope and excitement flourishes, and optimism for the future resonates. Colleagues, the time has come to take a stand. It has become increasingly evident that we live in a world in which many, including our media, wish to confuse, misguide, and deceive us. Calling good evil and evil good. One doesn’t have to look far to see the sinister agenda occurring right before our eyes. The attack on our children is no longer hidden. Those who wish to normalize sexually deviant behavior against our children, including pedophilia and incest, are pushing this movement more than ever before. Our children should be safe and free from this atrocious assault. Our students should be learning about science and mathematics. They should be learning about engineering and innovation. Instead, we have some teachers who are disguising sexually obscene material as desired subject matter and profess it as artistic and literary in value. The literature being pushed on our students should disturb all of us, and if you aren’t disturbed I can only hope it’s because you’ve not actually heard or seen the content. Nobody, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or occupation has the right to expose children to obscene material. It is for that reason that this body should use this session to address this very issue. When students are subjected to this violating content, we need to ensure parents have the ability to protect their children by removing them from that district. We can and must tear down the financial barriers that prevent parents from making that decision. We must hold those who distribute this repulsive and criminal content to minors accountable. Let us not forget the quote on the first floor of this Capitol, which reads “Nothing is politically correct, that is morally wrong.” In other words, we can’t be right by doing the wrong thing, and doing the right thing can never be wrong. Since 1973, nearly 70 million Americans have had their voices silenced. Their lives were taken in the so-called name of choice. We have courageously stood for and defended those who could not defend themselves. I am proud of the work done by this body to give a voice to the voiceless. As the United States Supreme Court takes up this important issue, we stand ready to take whatever steps necessary to defend the dignity of life. Colleagues, because of your dedication to being fiscally responsible, we come into this legislative session with our economic reserves totally full. Our revenues are at a historic, all-time high, and our ending fund balances are flourishing. This economic prosperity has come from sound fiscal policies and reducing taxes