CHRISTIAN COALITION OF IOWA

LEGISLATIVE REPORT

Norm Pawlewski – Lobbyist

March 14 – 31

            The marriage amendment HJR1 has not moved since passage by the House on a 54 to 44 vote.  Senator Kibbie continues to be the only Senator who can move this bill from sub-committee to committee to floor debate.  We have talked with him, some of his constituents have talked with him, to no avail.  During my last conversation with him, the evening of the 44^th Memorial Service at the Capitol, he was cordial and said he would be with us on many of our issues but could not at this time support HJR1.  I perceived his mind was not completely closed, like that of Senator Hatch, and he was at least sincerely considering the arguments of both sides of this issue.

            The Memorial Service, held in the House Chamber on Wednesday evening, March 30th, was both solemn and encouraging.  As I sat there listening to the chorus, made up of legislators, pages, lobbyists and state employees, I wondered how long it would be before the ACLU or The People for the American Way complained that both God and Jesus Christ were mentioned in the House Chamber.  For a strictly volunteer choir, they did a superb job on The Star Spangled Banner and hymns like God Bless America and In This Very Room, among others.  I noticed that several of our most liberal legislators sang with some of our most evangelical conservative members.  I guess memorial services bring out the best in people.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one praying for their enlightenment. 

            This week Friday, April 8^th is the second funnel date.  By the close of business on that date, Senate bills passed by that body must be voted out of committee in the House and House bills must be passed out of committee by the Senate.  That means that if HJR1 is not voted out of the Senate State Government Committee, it is dead for this year.  There are ways to attach bills that are caught by the funnel to other bills, but that is unlikely for HJR1.

            There are several other bills we favor that are still moving toward the Governor’s desk:

            HF619 Sex Offender Registry Task Force – Creates a sex offender database task force in the Dept. of Administrative Services to integrate the various state databases to improve the timeliness of the registry.  It does many other things pertaining to sexual predators including stiffer sentences and clarifying where sex offenders can reside.  The House passed this bill on a 99 – 0 vote.  It will be debated in the Senate where Senators Larson and Lamberti promise to make it even stronger before sending it to the Governor.

            HF821 Prescription Drug Assistance – Directs the Insurance Commissioner to create a prescription drug assistance program and to help persons access free and discounted drug programs from pharmacies.  The House passed this bill 99 to 1; it now goes to the Senate where passage is likely.

            SF330 Divorce Law – Allows the court to appoint a guardian ad litem for a child in divorce proceedings.  Includes as a ground for termination of parental rights that the parent committed a crime against the child or another child in the household or that the parent is in prison and will not be out for at least 5 years.  An amendment by Rep. Danny Carroll requires that developmentally-appropriate parenting plans be filed in conjunction with custody orders.  The House passed the bill 91 to 8; it now returns to the Senate for concurrence with the amendment. 

            HF 769 Child Abuse Corrections – Requires the Dept. of Human Services to develop options for expediting their response related to child abuse data.  An amendment by Rep. Rod Roberts (R) and Rep. Mark Smith (D) adds additional provisions to strengthen and clarify the bill.  The House passed this bill 98 to 0; it now goes to the Senate.

            HF787 Minor Abortion Notice – Requires a health care provider who performs an abortion for a minor to report if a parent was notified or, if not, why they weren’t.  Prohibits keeping the report or providing information that would identify a court or county attorney’s office employee who facilitated a waiver.  Makes reporting statewide.

This bill passed the House on a 98 – 0 vote, getting approval from very strong pro-abortion Representatives which leads me to believe there is little for conservatives to celebrate.  It now goes to the Senate.  Iowa Right to Life Executive Director Kim Lehman has approached Senators regarding amendments that might strengthen the bill.

            There are a number of other bills we are interested in.  Some we are opposed to and hope to avoid letting them through the funnel on April 8^th.  Our next report will let you know how successful we have been.

            God bless all of you who take an interest in the legislative process.  We appreciate your calling, writing and e-mailing your legislators.  We appreciate also your prayers and general support for the Christian Coalition of Iowa.  

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