House addresses budget, food, speed cameras

As the calendar edges closer to the 100th day of the 2024 Legislative Session, work on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget is picking up steam.

Both the House and Senate have released most of the proposed budget bills. This important step allows Iowans to draw some comparisons between the different approaches of the two chambers.

On Wednesday, April 10, the Iowa House passed House File 2641, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship departmental bill. The bill expands the type of agricultural commodities eligible for the Choose Iowa program to include horticultural products and natural fibers.

It also amends the Dairy Innovation Program Code provision to allow manufacturer Grade/Grade B milk and milk products to be eligible for the Dairy Innovation Grants.

HF 2641bifurcates the provision dealing with the continuous residency requirement for Iowa bred horse program into one for standard bred and quarter horse foals and another for thoroughbred foals and slightly shifts the requirements is different ways for each class of horses.

The measure amended section 202.3, subsection 29, Code 2024, to alter the meaning of the term ‘unmanipulated manure’ to allow the dewatering of manure.

The bill was amended to sharply reduce the involvement and responsibility of IDALS to regulate hemp.

Food labeling

The Iowa Senate passed Senate File 2391 on a 33-aye to 12-nay vote. A week earlier, the Iowa House had passed SF 2391 by a partisan 60-aye to 34-nay vote.

The measure provides accurate protein labeling definitions to enable Iowa consumers to know what they are putting on their plates and into their bodies when they purchase an ever-proliferating array of protein food sources, with many of the new products not being historical or typical food stuffs and are now being designed and produced through laboratory activities.

The goals of the bill are to

(a) define meat products, cultivated-protein, insect-protein, and plant-protein products,

(b) create fair labeling standards, and

(c) ensure transparency in the marketplace for consumers.

The bill additionally seeks to

(1) proscribe lab-grown proteins from being purchased through federal SNAP and WIC programs used by low-income Iowans,

(2) curtail schools (K-12) from purchasing lab-grown protein for school breakfast/lunches, and

(3) restricts Regent Institutions and community colleges from purchasing lab-grown protein.

The bill was amended by House Floor action to create a parallel and similar provisions through a new Code chapter 137A to protect the integrity of egg products and the branding of egg products and the accuracy of egg marketing terms.

Speed cameras

For the first time, the House voted to regulate the use of automated traffic enforcement systems surveilling motorists’ speed.

The bill, House File 2681, requires all speed cameras to go through a permitting process by the Iowa Department of Transportation before they could be put into operation.

Cities or counties would have to show the speed and safety issues at the camera’s location and how utilizing the speed camera is necessary to improve traffic safety at that location.

Under the bill, cities or counties only must apply for one permit but would have to get DOT approval for all proposed speed camera locations.

Cities or counties with a population of under 20,000 would not be allowed to utilize a mobile ATE system for issuing speeding citations.

Additionally, the bill establishes standards for the placement of signs alerting motorists to the use of speed cameras. These signs must be posted between 500 and 1000 feet in front of the camera’s location.

House File 2681 sets a standard for all speed cameras. Penalties will not be imposed if a driver is less than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. The bill also sets out the fee schedule: between 10 and 20 mph over — $75 fine; between 20 and 25 mph over — $100 fine; between 25 and 30 mph over — $250 fine; and in excess of 30 mph over — $500 fine.

For cities and counties that had speed cameras in operation before Jan. 1, 2024, they can continue to operate them as the DOT reviews their permit request.

The bipartisan bill now moves to the Senate, where similar legislation is awaiting action.