(Des Moines) Several bills were reviewed this past week during subcommittee meetings of the Iowa Legislature’s Judiciary, Transportation, and Education committees.
Iowa District 9 Senator Tom Shipley of Nodaway said the Judiciary Subcommittee discussed multiple proposals. One bill, SSB 3021, would prohibit individuals convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 12 from receiving a deferred or suspended sentence. Lawmakers also considered SF 2012, which creates the crime of assault by criminal groping. The bill is intended to close a gap in current law by allowing a higher-level charge when an assault involves groping of intimate areas but does not meet the legal definition of sexual abuse. In addition, the subcommittee discussed SF 2040, which would transfer control of cremated human remains to the next competent adult if the person currently in control does not claim the remains within 30 days.
During a Transportation Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, legislators discussed SF 3025, a bill that expands on existing laws related to eluding a law enforcement officer in a motor vehicle. While current law includes penalties for repeat offenses, the bill strengthens enforcement by addressing cases in which a driver crosses state lines while fleeing. Under the proposal, eluding an officer would become a Class D felony if the driver enters another state, allowing officers to continue a “fresh pursuit” and make an arrest across state lines.
Education subcommittees also met on Wednesday to consider several bills. SF 2025 would move the earliest allowable school start date for accredited districts to the second-to-last Monday in August. Lawmakers also discussed SF 274, which would require public schools and organizations sponsoring interscholastic athletic events to accept legal tender for admission. Additionally, SF 2007 was reviewed, a bill that would expand a school district’s eligibility for supplementary weighting by allowing districts to share the position of a school resource officer.
