~by Sen Jesse Green
March 24, 2023
The past couple weeks have been the busiest of the year so far at the Capitol. The second deadline is approaching, so lawmakers are frantic trying to get their priority bills out of their respective chamber and advocating for them in the other chamber. If a bill does not pass out of the other chamber’s committee by the end of next week, those bills cannot be taken up again until next year. This week we saw many high-profile bills pass out of the Senate for the House to consider next week within their committees.
SF 547, the “hands free” driving bill, is a controversial one among libertarian-minded folks. I never dreamt I would support this bill until I saw more data that came before me this year. For starters, it is estimated nearly 25 percent of all crashes can be linked to one of the drivers using their phone while driving. Virginia Tech University did a study that showed a driver on their phone is 6X more likely to crash than a driver that is intoxicated. As a result of some of this data, 24 states now have “hands free” legislation. Our border states Illinois and Minnesota both passed their versions in 2019. Reports show crashes in Minnesota were reduced by 31 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in Illinois as a result. The reality is that our friends, family, and neighbors are put in danger by others when someone is driving distracted. We are a nation of rights, but those rights can only be maintained with responsibility. Our lack of responsibility can result in depriving someone else from their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
Another bill policy debated this week roots out error, fraud, and abuse in Iowa’s welfare system. The Senate took a strong step forward in solving some of these problems with the passage of SF 494. This bill refines asset limits to ensure wealthy people without typical income are not abusing the welfare system by collecting benefits, while also enjoying a lavish lifestyle. Eligibility will be examined through employment information, income records, incarceration, and other information from federal and state sources. SF 494 puts policies into effect by implementing electronic verification used in the private sector every day and saving the taxpayers millions of dollars per year. Iowans have routinely shown their support for common-sense safeguards on public assistance programs. We look forward to seeing this policy continue through the legislative process.
A couple of my personal bills made it out of the Senate and are now advancing in the House. SF 219 would eliminate the requirement to have a high school diploma to be a tattoo artist. On the surface this sounds like a bad law to get rid of, but with more context this makes sense. Within rules, the Department of Public Health (DPH) already has common sense educational requirements for people desiring to become an artist. Requiring a diploma is unnecessary in light of this. We are one of only 4 states that require this. The DPH say they generously hand out waivers when needed, so in response, I believe we need to save the paper, the department staff time, and eliminate this red tape.
My other personal bill now in the House is SF386. This bill eliminates the ability for a court to order college tuition to be provided to a child in a divorce situation. In most cases this is voluntarily done. In others, this provision in code can be weaponized to harass a spouse that may not afford to pay for the tuition of a child. This was first put into code in 1970 when divorce rates and college tuition was low. Now, both rates have skyrocketed, which allows more room for harassment to take place. If our desire is to encourage students to attend college, I do not think that divorce law is the healthiest way to accomplish this.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you. It truly is an honor. Please reach out to me if there is something I can help you navigate with your state government.
