February 27, 2014 The first funnel is past; there were winners and losers, bills that survived, bills that died, and bills that refuse to die as their supporters will attempt to attach them to the survivors as amendments. This week we are back in our normal committee schedule. The policy committees begin the process of evaluating the bills the Senate pushed through the funnel and sent to us and the pace of floor debate will pick up here in the House as we debate the bills that passed through committee on this side of the rotunda. The next funnel requires a bill to have been passed in one chamber and approved in committee in the other to survive. I am hearing from several school administrators and board members as we start to debate some needed corrections to the education reform that was passed last year. The formula that determines the state aid that encourages districts to share certain administrative personnel had a glitch that gave larger enrollment districts an advantage over smaller districts. As in any correction, the adjustment is painful for some districts and advantageous for others. As we work through the corrections we will attempt to make the process as fair as possible to all districts while addressing the concerns that have been brought to our attention. Both chambers passed bills last week in response to the kidnap of two young girls and murder of one of them near Dayton last year. The crime was committed by a man who had spent nearly 20 years in prison for the kidnap of two infants. He had been sentenced to 41 years for the earlier kidnappings and would still be in prison for that crime today if he had served out his sentence but Iowa’s sentencing rules allow for sentences to be reduced for good behavior in prison. As a result, this person was released after serving a little over 19 years of a 41 year sentence. The bill passed by the House would eliminate the good behavior sentence reduction for anyone involved in the kidnapping or sexual assault of anyone 15 years old or younger and would elevate some of these crimes from a C felony to a B felony which would allow for longer sentences upon conviction. I have not studied the Senate bill at this time but I don’t believe it goes as far as our House bill. These bills will go back and forth between the House and the Senate until a compromise is reached and we put stricter penalties in place for those who commit crimes against children. It seems that we have one of these bills every year, one where we are reacting to a particular crime or incident. I always question our ability to enact good policy when the debate is driven by an extremely emotional incident or crime. As was suggested during the debate of this bill, it may be time for a comprehensive review of our criminal sentencing laws and the application of the various sentence reduction policies. The debate on drones has invaded the Iowa House. While the use of drones in warfare has been debated worldwide, their use, or restrictions thereof, on the home front has not received much attention. Yesterday the House passed a bill placing restrictions on the use of drones in Iowa. While the Federal Aviation Administration retains the authority to regulate where and when drones can be flown,
it is silent on their potential uses. The bill passed by the House would require any state or local agency to get permission from their governing body to purchase or use a drone. Law enforcement agencies would be required to obtain warrants before they could use a drone for observation or intelligence activities. Private citizens would only be limited by FAA regulations as to where or when they could fly a drone. Individuals would be free to use a drone for any purpose permitted by the FAA over their own property or the property of others with permission. An individual could not use a drone to record images of any kind or any other activity over the property of others where they do not have permission. It will also prohibit anyone from using a drone to harass, intimidate, or bully any person or group. This has been an interesting process as this is cutting edge legislation. As the use and versatility of these devices expand, this conversation will also expand. With this bill we have established some basic parameters for the use and operation of these unique new devices. Their potential for good is limitless as is their potential for mischief. I am sure we will be revisiting this subject on a regular basis in the future as our inventors and innovators develop and expand the utility of unmanned aerial vehicles.
PLEASE JOIN ME AT THE FORUMS AND COFFEES; I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND DISCUSS ISSUES WITH YOU.
March 22 10:00 am King’s Pointe Regatta Grill
