Hite Capitol Update: March 14, 2019

Rep. Dustin Hite (R-District 79)

Rep. Dustin Hite (R-District 79)

by Rep. Dustin Hite

Debate season is in full swing at the State Capitol. This is the time in session when bills are presented in front of the entire House for consideration. If a bill passes through the House, it then goes to the Senate, and vice versa. After a bill has been debated on and passed through both Chambers, it goes to the desk of the Governor for final passage.

While politics today may seem very partisan and divided, the majority of the work in the Iowa Legislature is either unanimous or bipartisan. Through the first funnel, 91% of the bills passed out of House committees had bipartisan support (217 out of 238).

One example of a good bipartisan bill that passed this week is Senate File 113. I had the honor of presenting this bill in front of the entire House. It holds repeat drunk drivers accountable and keeps them off the roads to make our highways safer. This bill clarifies that a person convicted with three or more OWIs can be charged as a habitual offender and face stiffer penalties. Drunk driving is not only irresponsible, but it puts those who wish to travel safely on our roads and highways at risk. Senate File 113 passed through the House unanimously.

Another bill I was able to run on the House Floor also received bipartisan support. This was Senate File 220. Senate File 220 is a minor fix to last session’s historic tax reform bill regarding Section 179 expensing for small businesses and farmers. It passed on a bipartisan vote of 87-7.

The final bill I presented to the House Floor this week was Senate File 274. This bill deals with campus free speech by ensuring that students in public universities and community colleges have their rights to free speech respected and protected by preventing public universities and community colleges from denying benefits and privileges to student organizations due to the organization’s beliefs or leadership requirements. The bill further protects students by preventing universities and community colleges from denying benefits and privileges to student organizations due to the organization’s requirements that the organization’s leaders share and promote those beliefs. I believe this bill is essential to protect the First Amendment rights of students in our state, and I am proud to support it. It passed by a count of 52-44.

I am also happy to announce that an important piece of agriculture legislation passed through both the House and Senate this week, and is now on its way to the Governor. Senate File 519 will protect Iowa’s agriculture industry from foreign agents or extreme environmental activists who wish to do harm. It specifically would penalize an individual that uses deception to gain access to agriculture production facilities with the intent to cause physical or economic harm. I truly believe that this legislation will help farmers and I am happy to support it.

In 2nd Amendment news, this week the House and Senate restarted the process to ensure Iowans’ Second Amendment freedoms are enshrined in the State Constitution for future generations. Iowa is one of only six states that doesn’t already have Second Amendment protections in its State Constitution, and this amendment would change that. The proposed amendment is simple and easy to understand. It reads:

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.”

This amendment recognizes that Iowans have a fundamental, individual right to protect themselves, their families, and their liberty. It requires that the highest level of judicial review be applied to any government restriction on that right, just like other fundamental rights. In order for this amendment to become part of the Iowa Constitution, it must pass both chambers in the next General Assembly, and would then be put on the ballot for voters to weigh in on. This means that the decision will ultimately be left up to the voters.

Finally, I would like to recognize the people from the district that came to the Statehouse this week. Shannon Hora, Valerie Brandt, and their kids were in Des Moines for Homeschoolers Day on the Hill. I also met with Mark Groenendyk and Steve Wanders when they visited for County Supervisor’s Day. Lastly, I met with several representatives from businesses in Pella as well. As always, I encourage anyone making a trip to the Statehouse to reach out to me through email at dustin.hite@legis.iowa.gov.

Posted by on Mar 16 2019. Filed under Local News, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed

         

Search Archive

Search by Date
Search by Category
Search with Google
Log in | Copyright by Oskaloosa News