Legislation
Week 7 - Legislative Report
The 7th week of the session was a busy one at the hill. Legislators were either in subcommittee, standing committee or debating bills on the floor. The impetus for all this floor debate is the upcoming March 5th deadline for getting bills out of committee in the originating chamber and shipping them to other chamber (the “second funnel”). By this next Friday, all bills that originated and have been debated by the House have to be out of Senate committee and on the Senate Calendar to be alive. Similarly, all Senate bills have to be on the House calendar to be alive. Bills that don’t make this deadline have failed the second funnel.
As you can imagine, this greatly winnows down the number of bills in play for the remainder of the session so the March 5th deadline is one of the most important funnel deadlines in the joint rules. This rule does not apply to Leadership, Ways and Means Committee bills and Appropriations bills.
Our pension bill is an appropriations bill so it will not be worked on until after this next week. However, several bills of interest saw action this week.
- SF 2252 CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNING passed the Senate and is expected to pass the House;
- SF 2357 DOMESTIC ABUSE & GUNS passed the Senate. As amended, it requires that temporary protective orders include provisions that a person may be required to relinquish guns and ammunition if a permanent order is issued. It makes it a Class “D” felony for someone subject to a no-contact or protective order to knowingly have or transport guns or ammunition. Requires the court to give notice to the person subject to the order. The bill makes it a Class “D” felony for someone subject to a no-contact or protective order to knowingly have or transport guns or ammunition and requires that the court identify a qualified person to receive any guns and ammunition or to order that the guns and ammo be turned over to the county sheriff or law enforcement agency. It also requires that the person be assessed reasonable storage costs and also requires that the court to enter various information in the Iowa Criminal Justice System. It requires the information to be purged if when an order is not in effect and the guns be returned in 5 days.
- HF 2456 TEXTING DRIVING BAN passed the Senate. The bill prohibits sending and reading text messages while driving. It adopts a $30 penalty, with additional penalties for offenses that cause injury ($500 in fines and 90-day license suspension) or death ($1,000 in fines and 180-day license suspension). The bill does not allow text offenses to be considered moving violations and pre-empts local laws. It requires an education campaign in the first year, with warning tickets.
- SF 2305 SEX OFFENDERS passed the Senate and specifies that exclusionary zones apply to persons who committed offenses in another jurisdiction that are comparable to Iowa offenses that trigger the zones. It requires persons convicted of penetrating the genitalia or anus with an object to register as sex offenders and makes it a Tier III offense. It re-starts the registration period if an offender has parole, probation or work-release status revoked when the offender is re-released from custody and makes any offenses committed prior to July, 2009 a previous offense. It gives schools libraries, child care facilities and others immunity for good faith efforts to comply with the restrictions on sex offenders. The bill specifies that if a judge or jury finds that a burglary was committed with sexual motivation that the offender will be required to register. It adds pimping, pandering and other indictable offenses when done to a minor with sexual motivation. Changes the language on requiring persons in other jurisdictions convicted of sex offenses to register.
- The Senate unanimously passed SF 2351 DOMESTIC ABUSE STRANGULATION
which makes it an aggravated misdemeanor to commits domestic abuse through strangulation and defines strangulation. It requires that a peace officer arrest a person who the officer believes violated the law and was primary aggressor and makes the assault a class “D” felony if the injury causes bodily injury, but exempts that felony from the forcible felony provisions.
Below are the bills we are involved in on your behalf. The bills are “hotlinked” if you would like to view the entire bill or of course all bills may be accessed on the legislative website at www.legis.state.ia.us.
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A bill for an act relating to prohibiting a person who is the subject of a no-contact order or a protective order or who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing, transferring, or selling firearms and ammunition or offensive weapons and providing penalties. (Formerly SSB 1033.)
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Feb. 26 10
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Message from Senate. H.J. 742.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act relating to the emergency hospitalization of a person with a serious mental impairment.
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Feb. 24 10
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Subcommittee, Mertz, Kaufmann, and T. Olson. H.J. 714.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act enhancing the penalty for certain domestic abuse assault cases and providing a penalty. (Formerly SSB 1029.)
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Feb. 25 10
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Subcommittee, Lensing, Schulte, and Smith. H.J. 739.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act concerning marital support orders under the statewide fire and police retirement system.
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Feb. 16 10
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Subcommittee, Danielson, Courtney, and Wieck. S.J. 447.
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Sponsored by Danielson.
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A bill for an act modifying criminal offenses, penalties, and the sex offender registry and including applicability provisions. (Formerly SSB 3165.)
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Feb. 17 10
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Fiscal note. SCS.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act providing minimum paid sick and safe time for employees and including applicability provisions. (Formerly SSB 3176.)
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Feb. 25 10
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Sponsored by Labor and Business Relations.
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A bill for an act prohibiting cities and counties from adopting or enforcing ordinances that require a landlord to evict or impose certain restrictions or penalties on residential tenants and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SF 2210.) N
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Feb. 17 10
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Sponsored by Local Government.
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A bill for an act prohibiting a person from writing or sending a text message while driving a motor vehicle and providing penalties. (Formerly SSB 3070.)
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Feb. 24 10
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Withdrawn. S.J. 572.
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Sponsored by Transportation.
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A bill for An Act regulating emergency medical care providers, emergency medical care service programs, and emergency medical care services training programs, and providing penalties. (Formerly SF 2141.)
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Feb. 15 10
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Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 383.
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Sponsored by State Government.
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A bill for an act relating to vehicular accident reporting requirements by increasing the minimum amount of property damage necessitating a written report. (Formerly SSB 3203.)
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Feb. 23 10
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Subcommittee, Hanson, Kressig, and Rayhons. H.J. 690.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act relating to expunging convictions of certain criminal offenses. (Formerly SSB 3166.)
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Feb. 11 10
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Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 351.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act requiring certain weekly workers' compensation benefits to be calculated by including an employee's overtime and premium pay, and to include an annual cost-of-living adjustment. (Formerly SSB 3175.)
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Feb. 11 10
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Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 352.
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Sponsored by Labor and Business Relations.
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A bill for an act extending the voluntary shared unemployment compensation work program for additional weeks.
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Feb. 19 10
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Read first time, referred to Labor. H.J. 623.
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Sponsored by Labor and Business Relations.
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A bill for an act relating to the criminal and juvenile justice planning advisory council, establishing a public safety advisory board, and providing for implementation. (Formerly SSB 3156.)
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Feb. 25 10
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Immediate message. S.J. 597.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act relating to driver's license sanctions, including the issuance of temporary restricted licenses and certain requirements relating to ignition interlock devices, and providing penalties. (Formerly SSB 3173.)
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Feb. 17 10
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Fiscal note. SCS.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act creating the criminal offense of robbery in the third degree, and providing a penalty. (Formerly SSB 3124.)
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Feb. 24 10
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Subcommittee, R. Olson, Baudler, and Mertz. H.J. 713.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act relating to an assault that occurs between persons in an intimate relationship and the crime of domestic abuse assault and making penalties applicable. (Formerly SF 2135.)
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Feb. 17 10
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Subcommittee, Smith, Kaufmann, and Lensing. H.J. 599.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act relating to eluding or attempting to elude a marked law enforcement vehicle, and providing a penalty. (Formerly SSB 3107.)
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Feb. 08 10
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Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 302.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act relating to providing false identification information to a peace officer, emergency medical care provider, or fire fighter and providing a penalty. (Formerly SSB 3150.)
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Feb. 08 10
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Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 302.
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Sponsored by Judiciary.
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A bill for an act requiring employers to provide written information to employees about certain employment policies without written requests from employees and including applicability provisions. (Formerly SF 2011.)
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Feb. 18 10
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Subcommittee, Willems, Cownie, and Kearns. H.J. 619.
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Sponsored by Labor and Business Relations.
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A bill for an act concerning the use of child restraint systems or seat belts by motor vehicle passengers who are minors and making a penalty applicable.
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Feb. 22 10
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Subcommittee, Hanson, Abdul-Samad, and Tjepkes. H.J. 649.
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Sponsored by Transportation.
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A bill for an act concerning penalties for failure to obey an official traffic control device or signal when the violation results in death or serious injury. (Formerly SSB 3008.)
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Feb. 11 10
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Subcommittee, Huser, Mertz, and Schultz. H.J. 333.
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Spo
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