Child safety seat requirements would increase under proposed bill - The Gazette

The dome of the Iowa State Capitol gathering from the rotunda successful Des Moines. (The Gazette)

DES MOINES — The ages and weights astatine which children would beryllium required to thrust successful car information seats would summation nether projected authorities legislation.

Recurring run donations without the donor’s progressive consent would beryllium illegal, arsenic would immoderate hand-held usage of a mobile instrumentality portion driving. And pointing a laser astatine an craft would go a crime.

These are among the proposals made by authorities agencies filed successful beforehand of the 2023 league of the Iowa Legislature, which begins Jan. 9. Each year, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency collects projected authorities filed up of the upcoming session, and it is posted online astatine legis.iowa.gov nether “pre-filed bills.”

While authorities lawmakers sometimes besides record bills during this period, arsenic of Monday day the astir 2 twelve pre-filed bills each were projected by authorities departments. The Legislative Services Agency is liable for drafting a projected pre-filed measure into last signifier and past submitting it to some legislative chambers to beryllium considered.

Car seats

Children would beryllium required to thrust successful a rear-facing car spot until the property of 3 portion weighing up to 30 pounds, and would beryllium required to thrust successful a information spot until the property of 8 nether legislation projected by the authorities Public Safety Department.

Under existent law, the requirements are lower: up to 1 twelvemonth portion weighing little than 20 pounds successful a rear-facing seat, and up to the property of 6 successful a information seat.

The connection to rise those limits would summation information and bring Iowa successful enactment with neighboring states’ regulations, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said successful a memo accompanying the projected bill. The authorities bureau said information shows that compared to spot belts alone, car seats trim the hazard of wounded successful a clang by 71 to 82 percent, and booster seats trim the hazard of wounded to children aged 4 to 8 by 45 percent.

“Iowa has 1 of the astir lax kid information spot laws of each surrounding states, and the fatalities and injuries that effect are substantial,” the memo says.

Lasers and aircraft

Pointing a laser astatine an craft would go a transgression nether legislation projected by the Iowa Public Defense Department, which includes the Iowa National Guard.

“Over the past mates of years, Iowa National Guard aviators, chiefly Army (helicopter) aviators, person progressively go targets of ‘laser’ incidents from unit connected the ground,” Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Ben Corell wrote successful a memo accompanying the proposal. “To date, these incidents person not caused wounded to unit oregon aircraft. However, without greater deterrent, I’m acrophobic laser incidents volition proceed to emergence portion astatine the aforesaid clip expanding hazard to craft and crew.”

The authorities would adhd pointing a laser toward an craft to existing authorities instrumentality that prohibits pointing a laser astatine an idiosyncratic with intent to origin injury. The transgression is an battle and ranges from elemental misdemeanor to a Class C felony.

Distracted driving

Only hands-free usage of a mobile instrumentality would beryllium allowed portion driving nether legislation projected by the authorities Public Safety Department.

This connection has been astir the legislative block: Previous legislatures person considered the prohibition immoderate hand-held usage of mobile devices portion driving, but it has not garnered capable enactment to walk into law.

Current authorities instrumentality prohibits texting portion driving, but not different forms of hand-held mobile instrumentality use, including utilizing GPS.

“It is hard to enforce the existent instrumentality and alteration operator behaviour due to the fact that it is virtually intolerable to discern however the cellphone is being used,” says a memo from the Public Safety Department accompanying the projected legislation. “Furthermore, the level of distraction is not owed to the task being performed, but alternatively the specified usage of a cellphone portion driving.”

Campaign donations

Campaign organizations would beryllium prohibited from collecting automatic donations without a donor’s progressive consent nether legislation projected by the state’s run concern watchdog agency.

In caller predetermination cycles, determination has been a increasing inclination of campaigns collecting automatic, repeating donations from donors. Typically, a donor makes 1 donation without realizing helium oregon she besides has signed up for repeated donations, which are withdrawn automatically and bash not halt until the donor requests it.

Under authorities projected by the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, campaigns would beryllium required to get support from donors to cod repeating, automated donations.

“The Board believes that requiring affirmative consent for recurring contributions volition support contributors (donors) from unscrupulous fundraising tactics,” the authorities committee wrote successful a memo accompanying its legislative proposal. “Often, those who marque a one-time run publication are unaware they person besides opted successful to making recurring contributions. These recurring contributions, immoderate of which hap arsenic often arsenic each week, tin beryllium hard to cancel erstwhile discovered.”

Public records

Upon receiving petition for nationalist records, authorities authorities agencies would beryllium required to supply to the requester interaction information, an approximate day of the request’s fulfillment and an estimation of immoderate tenable fees associated with the petition nether legislation projected by the Iowa Public Information Board.

Government efficiency

The State Auditor’s Office would beryllium required annually to update a database of champion practices for authorities ratio nether legislation projected by State Auditor Rob Sand.

Sand, who successful November was reelected to a second, four-year term, has operated a programme helium has designated PIE, which stands for nationalist innovations and efficiencies.

His projected authorities would efficaciously enactment the PIE programme into authorities law. It would necessitate the auditor each twelvemonth to administer that database of champion practices to nationalist entities, petition feedback from those entities, and hole an yearly study that analyzes the nationalist entities’ responses.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com