WEEK NINE March 12, 2015 FUNNEL DATES Last week, we completed funnel week. In order for bills in the House to remain alive and eligible for debate, they must have successfully been voted out of their respective subcommittee and committee meetings. As of this week, the only bills to be considered in our committees are Senate bills. Exceptions to this are Appropriation and Ways and Means bills.
HOUSE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ADVANCED BILLS PROTECTING IOWANS Under HF 527 Iowans will still renew their carry permit every 5 years, but will only be required to retrain every 10 years. Additionally the bill allows parents to train their children under the age of 14 how to safety operate and pistol or revolver. The bill legalizes suppressors and creates a process for a chief law enforcement officer to approve the paperwork necessary for the purchase of a suppressor. Finally the bill creates permit privacy for gun owners. Permits to carry and permits to purchase would no longer be public information. This information remains available to law enforcement. The bill was sent to the Senate on March 10. HF 447, Call Location in Emergencies, would require wireless communication service providers to provide call location information when requested by law enforcement. Law enforcement may request this information if they believe there is a situation involving the risk of death or serious harm. Allowing law enforcement to find the location of a cell phone, in this limited situation, will help law enforcement in abduction cases, missing person cases and other situation where a person is in immediate danger. BILL AIMED AT HELPING SOLDIERS FINISH UNDERGRAD SENT TO GOVERNOR Senate File 130 was sent to the governor this week. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and makes a change to the National Guard Education Assistance Program aimed at helping more soldiers complete their undergraduate degrees. The National Guard Education Assistance Program (NGEAP) is a state funded tuition assistance program that pays schools "up front" for the cost of tuition for a soldier. In order to qualify for NGEAP benefits a soldier must be an Iowa resident and an active member of the Iowa Army or Air National Guard with a satisfactory
performance of duty. Additionally the individual must have completed Initial Entry Training. Applicants must not already have a baccalaureate degree and must attend a North Central Association accredited community college, university, or private college or university in Iowa. If all requirements are met, NGEAP will pay at least 50 percent of the tuition rate at state Board of Regents schools or 50 percent or the tuition rate at the institution the soldier chooses, whichever is lower. NGEAP funding is not available for summer courses. Current law limits participation in NGEAP to a certain number of semesters (depending on full-time or parttime status). Senate File 130 changes that limitation by providing that an eligible member of the National Guard can receive this assistance for up to 120 credit hours of undergraduate coursework as opposed to the prior limitation based on semesters. The hope is that more soldiers will finish their baccalaureate degrees with the help of NGEAP despite it taking longer than the traditional four years. Interested soldiers can apply online at https://ihaveaplaniowa.gov/default.aspx. Applications must be submitted by July 1 for the fall term and December 1 for the spring term. We have been busy debating bills on the House floor and sending them to the Senate to discuss and debate as well. You can watch the debates live by going to the website www.legis.ia.gov and checking on “House Video Live”. Please feel free to contact me at
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