Quick Facts
Biography
Dan Dawson (born c. 1978) is an American politician who was elected as a Republican member to the Iowa State Senate in 2016. He is an investigation agent of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and served in the United States Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Political stances
Voters' rights
During the 2017 legislative session, Dawson voted to shorten both the amount of time one may cast an absentee ballot and the number of days one can vote at satellite polling sites, and he voted to require all voters to present a state-issued ID. Though he voted for the measure, the bill was opposed by the Iowa State Association of Counties, an advocacy group for Iowa's disabled, and Iowa's Department on Aging opposed the bill.
Workers' Rights
During the 2017 legislative session, Dawson voted for House File 295 which eliminates local control in municipalities that voted to increase their own minimum wage locally. Dawson's vote will cause the minimum wage to be lowered in four counties which had already voted to raise their minimum wage (Johnson, Linn, Wapello, and Polk). Estimates show that at least 64,300 residents of Iowa will have their wages effectively lowered, including 35,800 to 36,000 in Polk County, 10,100 in Johnson County, and 18,400 in Linn County.
Healthcare
Dawson voted in support of House File 625, which eliminated the requirement that parents report on their state taxes whether or not they have healthcare for their children. In this bill, Dawson also voted to eliminate the requirement that parents apply for healthcare coverage, such as Hawk-i or Medicaid, for their children.
Immigration
Dawson voted for an amended form of Senate File 481. This bill eliminated elements of local control by requiring a local officer to comply and detain an immigrant who is guilty of three misdemeanors, non-violent felonies, and felonies until ICE arrives. This bill was opposed by a number of organizations in Iowa, including the Iowa Police Chief Association, the Iowa Catholic Conference, the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, the Iowa Coalition against Sexual Assault, and the Iowa State Bar Association.