We are now approaching the second funnel. This is the time when Senate Bills must move out of their respective House Committees and House Files must be passed off the floor and vice versa. Committee Chairs must also watch what is happening in the other chamber to ensure their bills get passed and sent to the Governor to become law. That last part isn’t easy! Things are amended, bounce back and forth, the lobby gets involved, and then at the last minute you are negotiating so your priorities don’t die. It can be exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.
This week we passed HF 2549 on Artificial Intelligence and Deceptive Statements bill. We passed HF 2506 to name October 13th of each year Breast Cancer Day. We passed a bill to establish Looting as a crime with HF 2598 and HF 2523 ensures that Minors can’t create social media accounts without parental permission.
One last thing I want to touch on, is about a state law that was passed back in 2019. SF 599 the regulation of hemp. You may have noticed in the past year that more local business are promoting THC food and beverage products. What you didn’t hear was that the Iowa Legislature made them legal. That’s a long story, but what I can tell you is that when we passed SF 599, it was definitely not the intent of the Legislature to allow THC laced consumable products, these businesses are not breaking the law, but we were also not prepared as a state to regulate consumable hemp products. We are currently living in the Wild West of THC products, but we are working on it and will be heavily regulating the industry.
The one thing I value most about being your Representative, is the amount of things I have learned through the people I have met. Today’s quote by Larry King, hits the nail on the head. As a citizen legislator I have my career and life experiences and to draw from, but I could never be an expert in everything. My one campaign promise has always been to listen, and I think I am a pretty good at it. I learn so much from the people in our district, and I have come to count on your expertise, personal stories and your experiences to help guide policy in the state. I appreciate having experts to contact, especially when it is a topic that I have a lot to learn about. Thank you for the honor of serving you.
