Iowa legislators working on bills after first funnel deadline passes
Hunter
02/20/24
Iowa legislators are busy this week working on bills that made it past the first “funnel” week.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports majority Republicans, who are in control of both chambers, have lauded their agenda as a continuation of cutting taxes, improving safety and broadening freedoms. House Majority leader Matt Windschitl says they’re delivering on the promises Iowans have expected them to deliver on.
Democrats have blasted Republicans for passing politically charged legislation that they say fails to meet the needs of Iowans on issues like wages, housing, child care and health care. Senate Majority leader Pam Jochum said the bills that passed the funnel deadline are really an attack on Iowans rather than an attack on the problems that Iowans have asked them to solve.
An amended version of Governor Kim Reynolds’ Area Education Agency overhaul is moving forward, as did an election bill that would redefine absentee voting rules, ban the use of ballot drop boxes, and create a pilot program for a third-party to maintain Iowa’s voter database.
The governor’s legislation that would add new language about sex and gender into Iowa code passed out of committee, despite the vocal protests of transgender Iowans and civil rights activists. Among the provisions are requirements for transgender individuals to list both their sex assigned at birth and their post-transition sex on certain documents.
Legislation that would ban cellphone use while driving and eliminate the use of automatic traffic cameras both passed out of House and Senate committees. Advocates have been pushing for stricter restrictions on distracted driving; it’s currently illegal to text while driving but not to make a call or use the phone for navigation.
Several immigration bills are moving forward. Among them are those that would prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving public assistance, and create a system to verify the citizenship of registered voters in the state. Republicans say the bills help address unlawful border crossings and protect Iowa tax dollars; Democrats say they’re targeting vulnerable immigrant communities.
A link to a Gazette article detailing all bills that advanced and failed to advance is available below.