People will soon have several chances to ask Iowa officials questions. This Saturday in Davenport, the Junior League of the Quad Cities will host the first of three Legislative Forums.
Toby Paone, from the Iowa State Education Association, says the forums allow citizens to talk with their state representatives and senators.
"You hear directly from legislators' mouths as to where they stand on specific issues. They can't hide behind a TV commercial or a social media post. You can ask them a direct question and hopefully get a direct answer right there on the spot. So, that to me is the best part of these forums. There's no filter. There's no interpretation necessary."
Paone says State Senators Jim Lykam, Roby Smith, Mark Lofgren, and Representative Cindy Winckler have confirmed that they will attend.
It'll be up to the residents to decide what topics to cover.
"[People might ask questions about] education funding, Medicaid and Medicaid issues that are going on in the State of Iowa, voter rights and rights of people to cast ballots in a timely fashion, property taxes and something called the backfill. So, there are a lot of issues that are going to be on the plate this year."
There will be two more forums. The second will be on Saturday, February 23 and Saturday, March 23. Paone says depending on the length of the legislative session, there might be another on Saturday, April 27. They will all be held on Saturdays at 10:30 am in the Kahler Auditorium at Davenport Central High School, 1120 Main Street. Doors open at 10 am.
Several organizations are working together to sponsor the series.