Week ten in the Iowa Senate was filled with floor debate on Senate bills that need to be passed to continue to be eligible this legislative session. April 4 is the next legislative deadline to “funnel” bills and narrow the focus on legislation eligible to become law. This is also the time when the Iowa Senate begins to work earnestly on next year’s state budget and tax legislation.
New technology sometimes requires new laws and regulations. As remotely piloted unmanned aeronautical transports (“drones”) grow in popularity, some common-sense privacy restrictions need to be in place. Senate File 491 is a bill that prohibits flying a drone within 400 feet of farm animals, farm equipment, and farm structures that lie outside of city limits without prior consent from the property owner. Individuals operating a drone that are caught in violation face a simple misdemeanor charge for intrusion. The charge becomes a serious misdemeanor if the drone is equipped with a surveillance device. SF 491 provides numerous exceptions where prior consent is not necessary, including when the drone is operated by a governmental subdivision, public utility, railroad company, stays above 400 feet, operates for commercial or agricultural use within FAA regulations, or when the drone’s purpose is collecting weather information. The Senate passed SF 491 to provide our farm industry with protections from intrusion and the bill is now headed to the Iowa House.
While it is difficult to face a life-threatening disease or illness, patients and their families often desire remedies and treatment that go beyond the approved options. Senate File 233 amends Iowa’s Right to Try Act, enacted in 2017 for such patients who have tried all approved treatment options, to include “individualized investigational treatment.” This new provision defines the allowable treatment as a drug, biological product, or device that is unique to, and produced exclusively for use by, an individual patient based on their own genetic profile. It changes the definition of eligible patient to include an individual who “has a life-threatening or severely debilitating illness” attested to by the patient’s treating physician. The law comes into consideration for the patient after all other treatment options currently approved by the U.S. FDA have been considered and the patient received a recommendation from their physician. SF 233, as passed this week in the Senate, also adds a new provision to the law concerning the compensation or costs associated with an investigational drug, biological product/device, or individualized investigational treatment. The Senate messaged SF 233 to the House for their consideration.
The Senate began the process of bringing to the electorate a constitutional amendment for protecting children and vulnerable adults from the burden of confronting their accused in court proceedings. Senate Joint Resolution 9 will provide children and victims rights not currently allowed due to a recent court decision and alleviate further trauma to the victim during a trial. The Senate passed SJR 9 this week, and if adopted by the House, would be published and then referred to the next General Assembly in 2027 for adoption, before being submitted to the voters for ratification to Iowa’s constitution.
Visitors to the Capitol
Your friends and neighbors visited the Capitol this week as members of the Rural Electric Cooperatives spent a day on the hill. It was wonderful to see so many of you in Des Moines this week.
Staying in touch
I rely on your input because everything we do as a General Assembly affects you personally. You can email me at amy.sinclair@legis.iowa.gov or call me at 515-725-4122 to voice your support or concerns on upcoming legislation. Visit the legislative website for information about bills important to you or to follow the work of the legislature: www.Legis.Iowa.Gov. If you, or someone you know, would like to receive these weekly updates electronically, please visit https://iowasenaterepublicans.com/senators/amy-sinclair/ to sign up for my weekly newsletter.
Also, meet with me in your area to talk about issues important to you:
- The Dug Out Café, Orient, at 10:00am on Friday, April 4
- Pizza Ranch, Winterset, at 10:00am on Friday, April 18 for a coffee and conversation (NOTE: This event is a meet and greet with constituents, not a formal legislative forum)