DES MOINES, Iowa — After a busy two weeks for Iowa lawmakers, the first major deadline of the session came and went.
For bills to stay alive for the session, they must clear through the committee level of the chamber they originated in. Meaning if a bill started at an Iowa House judiciary subcommittee, it would have had to pass the subcommittee and then the full judiciary committee.
Two vaccine bills, one in the Iowa House and Senate, did not survive the first deadline. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley said that members of the public had been reaching out about both of the bills.
“There is a house bill that would look at the immunity protections for the drug manufacturers,” said Speaker Grassley, (R) District 57 from New Hartford. “But the bill that we’re receiving all of the feedback on from Iowans would say it would be a ban. I think that the bill, even in the senate, was amended to that. I just wanted to make sure that’s being clarified.”
The senate proposal would have blocked the use of gene-based vaccines in the state, meaning mRNA vaccines. Iowa Senator Doug Campbell (R) did tell reporters after the bill subcommittee last week it would be amended to a version similar to the house’s. That amendment was never filed as the bill did not advance.
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The proposals to make it a crime statewide to sleep and camp in public areas, along with having cities set up designated areas for homeless encampments failed to make it out of either chamber.
For some legislation that survived the session, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ bill to set up a no cellphone policy during instructional times in class made it through both chambers.
Hands-free driving legislation was approved in both chambers, which has been sought after by organizations and some Iowans for several sessions now.
Iowa Senate Democrats outlined some of the bipartisan work the caucus feels good about and hopes to see signed into law.
“We have a good double up food bucks bill on the senate side that we would like to see move forward on it’s own because that allows families to buy more healthy food,” said Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner, (D) District 45 form Iowa City. “We passed through a bill that would prohibit the use of bots for ticket purchasing, discussions about the cell phone bans during instructional time.”
The next major deadline for lawmakers is April 4.
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