A short-list of Iowa bills that survived “Funnel Week”
Courtesy: MGN
(ABC 6 News) – Funnel Week at the Iowa capitol has put several bills on the chopping block, with only a handful surviving.
ABC 6 New compiled a short-list of Iowa bills to help keep track of what has survived and remain eligible for consideration to become state law.
Senate File 2211/House Study Bill 703, a bill criminalizing illegal reentry
If passed, undocumented migrants who renter or attempt to renter the state of Iowa can be charged with an aggravated misdemeanor.
The base charge is a class C felony, meaning a person may serve up to two years and a fine between $855 to $8,540.
If the person is also found to have a conviction of two or more misdemeanors involving drugs, crimes against a person or both, they can be charged with a class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine between $1,025 or $10,245
Senate File 2214, a bill capping the cost of insulin
If passed, a covered person may be forced to pay, at most, $75 for a 31 day prescription supply of rapid, intermediate, short or long-acting insulin drugs.
A similar law went into affect last year, capping out-of-pocket costs of insulin at $35 per monthly prescription among Medicare Part D enrollees.
Senate File 2311, a bill permitting state agencies to hire private companies to perform audits
If passed, state agencies could hire a private company to conduct their annual audit, instead of the auditor’s office.
In 2023, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill limiting state auditor’s authority to get documents for investigations, despite “bipartisan opposition,” according to Iowa state auditor Rob Sands.
Senate File 2078, a bill requiring election officials to verify a voter’s citizenship status during registration
If passed, election officials will make an attempt to verify a registrant’s citizenship status based on federal databases.
If an election official is unable to verify a registrant’s citizenship status, the election official will inform the registrant and require one of the following documents: a U.S. birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a certification of citizenship, a report of an abroad birth by a U.S. citizen, a United States passport.
Under current law, a potential voter must provide a social security number, a driver’s license number or a non-operator ID. All can only be obtained by legal, documented residents or citizens.
Current law makes noncitizen voting a federal crime, punishable by a five year jail sentence and/or a $10,245 fine.
Senate Study Bill 3073, a bill modifying Area Education Agencies in the state
Differing from Gov. Reynold’s initial proposal which, if passed, would’ve allowed schools could to outsource special needs education to private companies, hire specialists in conjunction with other school districts, or hire different agencies to assist their student.
The latest amendments to the bill would still continue special education services, but slowly disperse funding directly to districts, with which, districts could then choose to either continue AEA programing or work with alternative services.
House Study Bill 693, a bill making selling or distribution of fentanyl/fentanyl-related substances a first-degree murder charge
If passed, any person who unlawfully delivers, dispenses, provides fentanyl or similar products can face a first-degree murder charge, a class A felony, punishable by life without parole.
House Study Bill 675, a bill to arm teachers and mandating security for large schools
If passed, school officials could become certified to carry a firearm on public or private school grounds.
This bill would also mandate live-scenario training, quarterly firearm safety training, legal training and yearly emergency medical training for educators with a school-grounds carry permit.
Under this bill, school districts with at least 8,000 students would also be required to hire at least one school resource officer for district high schools.
The bill would also authorize grant money to offset costs of hiring a a private or school resource officer.
House File 2413, a bill revoking officer certifications for two OWI convictions
If an law enforcement officer has two or more convictions of Operating While Intoxicated, their certification would be revoked.
This law applies to both certified law enforcement officers and reserve peace officers, regardless of employment status.
This is not a complete list of all 2024 Iowa bills