Westrich then tries to explain her past to the school group of children too young to remember Kanye West at the VMAs, let alone the mid-90s alternative rock scene. “She was in a famous rock band when she was young you can find the videos on YouTube.” It’s a school group from his district but he had left Westrich babysitting them for a few minutes. Just then, another legislator, Steve Holt, interrupts with a smirk. Her audience is a group of about two dozen middle school-aged kids seated on the floor in the back corner of the room.
Westrich, a petite cheery blonde, is just finishing up explaining how a lawmaker can summon a legislative page to their desk if they have a specific request to add to a bill. The state Legislature is out of session, and only a handful of members are lazing about the chamber catching up on correspondence. It’s a drowsy rainy Thursday at the Iowa State Capitol, and Iowa State Representative Cherielynn Westrich is speaking to a school group about how a bill becomes a law.
