Counties and cities would be prohibited from adopting regulations stricter than what the state permits for topsoil management at construction sites under legislation that is on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her consideration.
Iowa Senate Republicans approved the proposal Monday at the Iowa Capitol, giving it final approval in the Iowa Legislature.
The bill also would restrict the regulations local jurisdictions can place on the stormwater infrastructure required for new developments.
Only Republicans voted for the bill as it passed out of the Iowa Senate, 29-18. Two Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the bill.
Republicans argued the bill will constrain a local regulation that could drive up the cost of home construction, thus creating more affordable housing options for Iowans.
Iowa Sen. Scott Webster, a Republican from Bettendorf who co-owns a home building business, said local regulations like the ones that would be limited by the bill can add thousands of dollars in costs to home construction projects. And he argued those regulations do not effectively make the projects safer.
Democrats argued that cities and counties should not be restricted by the state when it comes to local regulations, and that stormwater regulations can prevent catastrophic flooding damage to homes.
The bill, Senate File 455, previously passed the Iowa House on a 53-46 vote — just days after, on a first attempt, it was defeated in the House on a 49-44 vote.
Having now passed the House and Senate, the proposal heads to Reynolds for her consideration.
A bill that would criminalize pornographic images and videos that have been digitally altered to look like a specific person, known as “deepfakes,” is headed to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature.
House File 2240 would make a person who distributes a digitally altered image or video that portrays a person fully or partially nude or engaging in a sex act guilty of harassment. The bill builds on a law passed in 2017 that criminalized “revenge porn,” the distribution of porn images or videos of a person without their consent.
The bill, which passed the House unanimously, was amended by the Senate to require anyone 18 years or older convicted of the new crime to register as a sex offender. The House concurred with the Senate amendment, sending the bill to the governor for her signature. It previously passed the Senate, also unanimously.
In 2023, the FBI warned of a sharp increase in deepfakes being used in “sextortion” schemes, in which a person threatens to distribute sexually explicit images and videos of a person unless the victim pays.
A harassment charge under the proposal would constitute an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up two years in prison and a fine between $855 and $8,540.
Other states have moved to crack down on “deepfake” pornography in recent years. Some allow victims to sue a person who creates fake images of them.
Products that are sold and used to inhale tobacco products — like glass and metal bongs — would be taxed at 40 percent, and the revenue would be used to create a fund for specialty courts and diversion programs designed to address substance and mental health issues.
The bill, Senate File 345, passed the Senate unanimously, 47-0.
Because it previously passed the House on a 90-7 vote, the bill will be sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her consideration.
www.thegazette.com
Iowa Senate Republicans approved the proposal Monday at the Iowa Capitol, giving it final approval in the Iowa Legislature.
The bill also would restrict the regulations local jurisdictions can place on the stormwater infrastructure required for new developments.
Only Republicans voted for the bill as it passed out of the Iowa Senate, 29-18. Two Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the bill.
Republicans argued the bill will constrain a local regulation that could drive up the cost of home construction, thus creating more affordable housing options for Iowans.
Iowa Sen. Scott Webster, a Republican from Bettendorf who co-owns a home building business, said local regulations like the ones that would be limited by the bill can add thousands of dollars in costs to home construction projects. And he argued those regulations do not effectively make the projects safer.
Democrats argued that cities and counties should not be restricted by the state when it comes to local regulations, and that stormwater regulations can prevent catastrophic flooding damage to homes.
The bill, Senate File 455, previously passed the Iowa House on a 53-46 vote — just days after, on a first attempt, it was defeated in the House on a 49-44 vote.
Having now passed the House and Senate, the proposal heads to Reynolds for her consideration.
Bill criminalizing ‘deepfake’ porn headed to governor
A bill that would criminalize pornographic images and videos that have been digitally altered to look like a specific person, known as “deepfakes,” is headed to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature.
House File 2240 would make a person who distributes a digitally altered image or video that portrays a person fully or partially nude or engaging in a sex act guilty of harassment. The bill builds on a law passed in 2017 that criminalized “revenge porn,” the distribution of porn images or videos of a person without their consent.
The bill, which passed the House unanimously, was amended by the Senate to require anyone 18 years or older convicted of the new crime to register as a sex offender. The House concurred with the Senate amendment, sending the bill to the governor for her signature. It previously passed the Senate, also unanimously.
In 2023, the FBI warned of a sharp increase in deepfakes being used in “sextortion” schemes, in which a person threatens to distribute sexually explicit images and videos of a person unless the victim pays.
A harassment charge under the proposal would constitute an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up two years in prison and a fine between $855 and $8,540.
Other states have moved to crack down on “deepfake” pornography in recent years. Some allow victims to sue a person who creates fake images of them.
‘Bong tax’ passes Iowa Senate
Products that are sold and used to inhale tobacco products — like glass and metal bongs — would be taxed at 40 percent, and the revenue would be used to create a fund for specialty courts and diversion programs designed to address substance and mental health issues.
The bill, Senate File 345, passed the Senate unanimously, 47-0.
Because it previously passed the House on a 90-7 vote, the bill will be sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her consideration.
Capitol Notebook: Bill to limit local storm water regulations headed to Iowa Gov. Reynolds’ desk
Also headed to the governor: Legislation that would add digitally altered images to Iowa’s harassment laws
www.thegazette.com
