LEE COUNTY - With the second funnel of the 2024 90th Legislative session complete, area legislators updated Lee County residents Friday on priorities of bills moving through the legislature.
Reps. Martin Graber and Matt Rinker, along with Sen. Jeff Reichman, talked with voters at the Lee County Career Advantage Center in Montrose.
Graber, in his opening remarks, addressed legislation around a bill to restructure state Area Education Associations. The bill crafted in the House, House file 2612, is proposing legislation different from what Gov. Kim Reynolds was hoping for in reformulating AEAs across the state.
Reynolds was looking for more privatization of services, while the House bill got out of committee and over to the Senate with tax dollars going to districts in a pay-for-services system with AEAs, which gives local districts a little more control.
Graber also said school safety has been a priority in the session following the tragedy at Perry on Jan. 4. Graber offered an amendment to a current bill that would allow for software in schools that would alert school officials, including resource officers, when a gun is drawn out of a holster or other concealed apparatus.
Reichman said the year has been a little different than pass sessions due to priorities.
Reichman said a review of core curriculum is a priority out of the House and into the Senate for review.
He also said the gun identification software provides additional options for school districts.
“It’s definitely an option and any options help, but unfortunately I think, kids would have a great time trying to figure out how to defeat that software and have some fun with it,” he said. “But we like to have as many tools as we can.”
Rinker said he was happy with a bill that came out regarding Pharmacy Benefit Managers. He said when Iowans go to a pharmacy and hand them a prescription, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes.
“We heard of examples where the pharmacy is getting reimbursed 40% of the actual cost of dispensing the product.”
He said the bill would make sure pharmacies get at least 100% of the cost of providing the drug so they aren’t losing money.
Questions from the audience of about 40 started with conversations around the speed cameras placed on the Hwy. 27/218 corridor.
Reichman said the senate is leading toward regulating the cameras and not banning them completely.
Graber said a bill in front of the legislature would ban cameras in the state while also requiring hands-free cellphone access. He said there is support for passing the bill but the questions legislators are grappling with is whether or not to ban them or regulate them.
There’s a perception that a lot of people are doing it just to get the money,” Graber said. “And I think I can show you cases in the state where they are doing that.”
Resident Doug Abolt said the question of whether or not the cameras should be allowed should be put to voters and not be left to legislators to make the decision.
Rinker said he’s worked a lot on the topics, including working with Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber.
"I am not at all in favor of banning them. There are certain circumstances in the state where traffic flows and risks to officers working those areas is too risky. Cameras would work in those situations,” Rinker said.
He said the DOT should take over the installation, maintenance, and authority behind traffic camera placement. He said the DOT would collect the revenue, deduct the cost of the implementation from the top line, and then send the rest back to local agencies to help with related costs.
“That way the state isn’t out any money because we’re collecting that off the top line and local authorities could see the revenue needed for traffic enforcement,” Rinker said.
That way he said private companies are taken out of the equation.
“In my opinion we can’t have private companies profiting off traffic safety in the state.”
Reichman said no one likes to get a ticket, but it's not unreasonable if you’re going 10 mph over the limit, you should expect a ticket.
"We’re lucky we’re getting away with that.”
Resident Ted Stein said he would rather see the issue regulated locally because trying to address the issue at the state level would be more difficult working through the state than it would be with county supervisors and the sheriff’s department.
Abolt said he hasn’t met one person who favors having the cameras in place. However, a hand poll of those in attendance only showed two people supported banning the cameras and one was Abolt.
Reichman said the surveillance gets scary.
“Big brother’s watching. And that’s scary,” Reichman said.
Other issues brought up to legislators included why the state still has an abstract process instead of just going to straight to deeds, and then a discussion on eminent domain.
Abolt said eminent domain is constitutionally illegal and efforts to establish a CO2 carbon sequestration pipeline a reality in Iowa and Lee County are firing up again. Abolt said three unelected officers of the Iowa Utilities Board shouldn’t be able to authorize the taking of private citizens' land for private purposes.
“We don’t want it. Not one scintilla of it,” he said.
Andrew Johnson, West Point, who has been advocating against the use of eminent domain, said Iowans should be allowed to take companies to court to appeal the IUB process.
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