Mona Lea Martin (née Kadel; October 22, 1934) is an American politician in the state of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. She was born in

Taylor Ridge, Illinois Taylor Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. Taylor Ridge is located at the junction of Illinois Route 94 and Illinois Route 192, north of Reynolds. Taylor Ridge has a post office with ZIP code ...

and has been a resident of

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, since 1959. She received a B.S. in 1956 from Western Illinois State College in

Macomb, Illinois Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois, southwest of Galesburg. The city is about southwest of Peoria and south of the Quad Cities. A special census held in 2 ...

, and did graduate work at both

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. A Republican, she served in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

from 1993 to 2001 (43rd district) As a state legislator, Mona went against insurance companies in 1996 when she pushed the “Maternity Stay” bill through the legislature, securing the Governor's signature. The law improved the lives of women and newborns by stopping “drive-by deliveries.” Mona was lauded by colleagues from across the nation for leadership in orchestrating this change, which became a model for the national law. Beginning in 1997, Mona pushed through reforms aimed at safeguarding Iowa's older citizens from abuse and neglect in nursing homes. The final reform was her foresighted bill consolidating the state's six criminal and abuse registries into a single database, an achievement which garnered the State of Iowa the Smithsonian National Museum's prestigious Laureate Award for Technology Innovation in 2000. As a legislator, Mona also scuttled a movement to sunset the Iowa Department of Human Rights and the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women in 1997 when a male legislator disliked the Department because “there was no Commission on the Status of Men.” Mona sponsored and floor-managed the Equal Rights Amendment to Iowa's Constitution and was instrumental in the amendment's passage in 1998. In 2000, Mona was the chief House sponsor and floor manager of the “Pill Bill,” a measure requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices and services. Throughout her life, Mona's career has encompassed work as a newspaper reporter, biology/earth science teacher, community leader, and state legislator, serving in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001. Mona also served as president of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

of Iowa and on numerous national advisory panels for the League of Women Voters. Mona was named to leadership roles in the

National Conference of State Legislatures The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States. Background ...

, where she chaired the 198-member Committee on Children, Families and Health, and represented NCSL at national forums and at several conclaves in Germany. From 1986 to 1990, Mona served as President of the Iowa Chapter,

United Nations Association of the United States of America The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting political and public support for the United Nations among Americans. A program of the United Nations Foundation ...

. She was appointed to the U.S. Department of Energy's Consumer Affairs Advisory Committee which she chaired from 1979 - 1981. In 2019, Mona Martin was inducted in the

Iowa Women's Hall of Fame The Iowa Women's Hall of Fame was created to acknowledge the accomplishments of female role models associated with the U.S. state of Iowa, and is an endeavor of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women (ICSW). History In 1972, the state of Iow ...

for her lifetime achievement to advance women in the state of Iowa.

References

1934 births Living people People from Rock Island County, Illinois Women state legislators in Iowa Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives 21st-century American women Iowa Women's Hall of Fame Inductees {{Iowa-politician-stub