City To Begin Flushing Water Hydrants On Monday
(Le Mars) — The city water department will be flushing the north side of Le Mars beginning on Monday, May 10th. Crews will start the flushing of water hydrants at 8:00 a.m. Water officials will start on the northeast portion of town which they anticipate will be completed withing two days. After the northeast side of town is done with the hydrant flushing, city water officials
will start on the northwest side of town. The following week, beginning on May 17th, they will flush the southwest part of town, and on May 24th, flushing will occur on the southeast side of town. City water superintendent, Rich Sudtelgte says residents should refrain from washing any clothes, or running any more water than needed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30
p.m. on the days flushing is occurring in your area of town.
House Passes Bill Eliminating Time Limit For Child Abuse Cases
(Des Moines) — The Iowa House has given final approval to a bill that immediately removes the time limit for filing criminal charges against people accused of sexually abusing a child. During House debate on Friday, Representative Cherielynn (SHAIR-ee lihnn, Westrich of Ottumwa spoke publicly
for the first time about the abuse she suffered as a child.
Westrich says this law change gives victims a chance to get justice.
Westrich says as a teenager, she was part of a group who were supporting a friend who had been sexually abused and the memories of her own abuse returned. And her siblings remembered being the babysitter locking them out of
the house so he could be alone with her. Westrich asked her colleagues to think about all the victims of child sex abuse.
The legislator who spoke next thanked Westrich for having the courage to tell her story in a public forum and then expressed the hope it would inspire other victims to come forward and press charges. Under current state law, child sex abuse victims must contact authorities before their 33rd birthday to file
criminal charges or sue their abuser. The bill only deals with the statute of limitations for criminal charges. While the bill passed on an 84-to-two vote, critics argued it’s time to lift the time limit on civil lawsuits as well, so victims can sue institutions that knew about child sex abusers, but did not act to prevent them from targeting other children.
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Grassley Believes Cattle Marketing Bill Will Pass Congress
(Des Moines) –– Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has introduced a bill with a bipartisan group of senators that would force meatpackers to buy at least half of their weekly beef supply on the open market. The vast majority of cattle sales today are private sales, and Grassley says he met with independent
farmers this week who can’t gauge the fair market price for their cattle.
Grassley says lawmakers need to intervene, because the cattle market isn’t working.
Grassley says he began talking about this issue in 2002, but abandoned the effort in 2007 when he could not muster the votes to get a bill passed in the U.S. Senate.
Grassley made his comments during taping of “Iowa Press” which airs Friday and Sunday on Iowa P-B-S. According to the U-S-D-A, Iowa ranks fourth among the states in the number of cattle destined for slaughter at a meatpacker.
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Hinson Backs Removing Cheney From GOP House Leadership Post
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says she supports removing Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her Republican leadership post and replacing her with New York Representative Elise Stefanik. Cheney became a target for removal after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump.
Hinson claims that Stefanik can help the G-O-P win back the House majority in 2022. The freshman Republican said, “I respect Congresswoman Cheney’s record and I believe that Elise is the right person to unify our conference right now, and I believe she has the votes to do so, and I am happy to support her.”
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst said that Cheney has the right to stand her ground in opposition to former President Trump.
Arrest Made in Des Moines Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed 2 Motorcyclists
(Des Moines, IA) — Des Moines police say a man is under arrest in connection with a hit-and-run crash Tuesday night that left two people on a motorcycle dead. Officers say 29-year-old Quntonio Herron is charged with homicide by vehicle – reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and driving while suspended.
Investigators say a car that was speeding struck two motorcycles. Fifty-one-year-old Jerry Coles and his passenger – 47-year-old Kristy Hyde- were killed in the crash. A third cyclist – 46-year-old Stacey Coles – was hospitalized in serious condition. The incident is still under investigation.
Trial For Suspect in Fatal Sioux City New Year’s Day Shooting Delayed
(Sioux City, IA) — The trial of one of three men charged in a fatal New Year’s Day shooting in Sioux City is delayed until July. Anthony Bauer is charged with the first-degree murder of 18-year-old Mia Kritis. Bauer’s trial was set to being Tuesday but is being continued to July 6th. Officers say Bauer, Christopher Morales and Carlos Morales fired 27 shots at home with
several people inside. Kritis was killed and three others were wounded.
Christopher Morales’ trial is scheduled to being July 20th.
Iowa Hires State Prison Security Director After Anamosa Killings
(Des Moines, IA) — A flower garden at the Anamosa State Penitentiary was dedicated on Thursday in memory of nurse Lorena Schulte and corrections officer Robert McFarland. They were murdered during an escape attempt at the eastern Iowa prison on March 23rd. Beth Skinner, director of the Iowa
Department of Corrections, addressed the Board of Corrections on Friday morning via Zoom for the first time since the killings. Skinner said, “these two individuals will never be forgotten, and neither will their families.”
Skinner says the killings caused a number of changes including the creation of a new security operations director to oversee all nine Iowa prisons. Skinner says Brian Foster comes from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and starts May 24th. Skinner says Foster is the Wisconsin D-O-C’s security chief
“which is basically doing the job that we want him to do.”
Jeneary Says State Legislature Still Wrestling With Fuel Mandate Bill
(Des Moines) — The state legislature is entering its second week beyond what was to have been the imposed deadline of April 30th. Many issues remain unresolved including the property tax reform bill and how mental health is to be funded and administered. But another bill still facing the state lawmakers
is the so-call Fuel Mandate bill. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has stated she would like to see retail fuel markets be required to include a pump for E-15, or 15 percent blend of ethanol. Ethanol sales are usually ten percent blend, with flex fuel vehicles also able to run on E-85, or 85 percent blended ethanol. Reynolds says she wants to help stimulate additional growth in the
state’s renewable fuels industry by offering the E-15. State Representative, Dr. Tom Jeneary of Le Mars says, he favors the use of ethanol fuels, but he is against any form of mandate.
Jeneary says the Iowa legislature was able to pass several budget-related bills during this past week.
Jeneary says the state legislature passed the Iowa Economic Development appropriation which amounts to nearly $50 million dollars.
Taylor Times
by Senator Jeff Taylor 5-7-21
This week most of the activity at the General Assembly took place behind-the-scenes, at the leadership level, on state budget issues. On Wednesday, May 5, I listened to floor debate and cast votes on a variety of policy bills and gubernatorial nominees. I voted against one nominee because of temperament concerns. The Senate should not act as simply a rubber stamp in the confirmation process.
Carolee Engel, an old friend of mine from Spencer High School who now lives in Des Moines, came to visit me at the Capitol. We posed in the rotunda before talking. I’ve enjoyed seeing and meeting lots of people during the past few months—from District 2 and around the state.
The Senate is now in week 17 of this legislative session, working on our priorities for Iowans and finishing up the last bills of the year. We passed Senate File 356, limiting civil liability for persons involved in agricultural tourism. This bill provides limited liability protections for agri-tourism businesses from injuries occurring due to the inherent risks of farming, such as the behavior of farm animals or the operation of equipment used on a farm. The liability protections do not apply if the injury is caused by an action or inaction of the farmer that is illegal, intentional, reckless, or grossly negligent. This bill helps promote agri-tourism in Iowa and cut down on costs incurred by potentially frivolous lawsuits.
Increased Freedom from Covid and Vaccine Passports
Since shortly after the pandemic began more than a year ago, “When can we get back to normal?” has been a common refrain. With the production and delivery of vaccines for COVID-19, and the natural growth of herd immunity, cases have waned, hospitalizations have been reduced, and deaths are fewer. Life is beginning to resemble normal once again. As a result of the widespread use of the vaccine, some local entities and businesses in other states have begun to require a “vaccine passport” to access normal functions of daily life.
This week, the Senate passed House File 889, which is a significant step toward returning to normal. It is a short, straightforward bill. HF 889 prohibits local governments, businesses, and non-profits from requiring proof of vaccination to go to a ball game, do business at the courthouse, shop at a grocery store, or enjoy supper at a restaurant. Violation of this prohibition would make any covered entity ineligible for state contracts.
Many state government actions related to the pandemic have been handled through executive orders and Governor Reynolds has had a challenging job navigating through these uncharted waters. However, constantly relying on executive actions is inconsistent with the tenets of our republic. Unilateral executive power is a concern for many Iowans. The governor asked the legislature to consider this policy and it is important for us to not further cede our constitutional duty to write laws. The policy is reasonable and necessary to address the rising issue of vaccine passports and it passed with partial bipartisan support in both chambers of the Iowa legislature.
If nothing is done to address the issue of vaccine passports, communities in the state inclined to excessive government involvement could require a vaccine passport to go into a government building, certain businesses owners could require vaccine proof to enter their business, or a well-intentioned non-profit could make it a condition of entry. Never before in America have you had to show proof of vaccination to access routine, everyday functions of life. Iowans can be certain this tradition will continue after Governor Reynolds signs HF 889 into law.
Although some of us wanted to amend the bill to remove the health care exemption (or at least narrow it) and strengthen the penalties for violation, this is a good bill and a step forward. Senate Republican leaders deserve our thanks. The Senate will keep an eye on health care providers and if some engage in overreach in regard to the Covid vaccine, we will legislate to give Iowans relief. No person, business, or government has a right to force or coerce individuals into injecting an unwanted substance into their body, regardless of claims of “safety” or “public health.” Deciding for ourselves, and our children, whether or not we want a particular vaccine is a basic God-given and constitutional right that must be protected. I look forward to more clearly codifying this principle into Iowa law next year.
Finishing Up
Iowa is in a great position to cut taxes and help taxpayers keep more of the money we earn. The Senate has passed several bills this year to achieve this goal. We have enacted measures to remove the triggers put into place by the 2018 tax bill and give Iowans the tax relief they deserve. The Senate has also passed legislation to provide over $100 million in property tax relief to Iowa taxpayers, while also providing increased funding for mental health services.
Ideally, the legislature will conclude this session having accomplished these priorities for Iowans, but we are still working out the details of a compromise with the House of Representatives. We are not sure what the coming weeks will look like at the Capitol, but I appreciate your taking the time to reach out to me with questions and concerns about what is happening and the bills the legislature is considering. I look forward to hearing from you as we continue to work toward adjournment for the year.
