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Dec. 16, 2020Iowa City, Iowa |  By: AP

Iowa using $10M in virus aid to fund state police officers


IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Kim Reynolds' administration is using $10 million in federal pandemic relief funds to pay the salaries of state police officers, who have largely not been directly involved in Iowa's virus response.

The expense is listed in a state report as going toward "State Government COVID staffing" at the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

The report claims the money will support payroll expenses for employees "whose services were diverted to a substantially different use as a result of COVID-19."

Department spokeswoman Debra McClung noted that the spending is allowable under revised Treasury Department guidance that stipulates that payroll expenses for public safety employees are presumed to qualify as pandemic-related. However, she didn't provide examples of how any duties had changed.