The 2024 Legislative Session is officially closed. Thursday (April 18) we worked into Friday morning until about 2:00 A.M. Then on Friday, we worked into Saturday Morning and closed the session at 4:23 A.M. The 90th General Assembly will officially end in early January 2025, when the 91st General Assembly is sworn in after the November 2024 election. What happens between now and then is hard to say but nothing would surprise me given the political climate in this nation.
On the Personal Side
As you may know, I am not seeking reelection due to the sudden and unexpected death of our daughter early last June. We had made plans to move to a different district, so I recruited Judd Lawler (see JuddLawler.com) to run for my seat in the Iowa House. Since then, our plans have changed and we will not be moving after all, but I fully endorse and support Judd in his campaign to represent District 91. Meanwhile, Carole and I are praying about the direction we are to take.
Those of us in the Iowa House who are not seeking reelection gave our retirement speeches in the closing days of the session. In my speech, I stated, “I may be tired, but not re-tired. A good night’s sleep will fix that. Re-tired is what happens to my truck when the tires get replaced.” It was intended to be a joke, but no one laughed. I guess I need to work on my joke-telling skills.
However, I am serious about not retiring. Circumstances may have prevented me from running again to represent District 91, but I do not feel as though this is a one-and-done. In fact, I feel as though I was just getting the hang of it and understanding how things work at the Capitol. As one person aptly characterized it, “Now you have had a good look under the hood.” I am confident my future role will reveal itself because I believe what the Bible says, “A man’s gift makes room for him…” (Proverbs 18:16).
2024 Legislative Recap
The 2024 session was a flood of information (as was 2023) and absorbing it all is impossible. It is hard, time-consuming work. Because there is never enough time, legislative priorities become the real issue and just about everyone’s priorities are a little different.
AEA Reform
The governor started off the 2024 Session with Area Education Agency (AEA) reform as one of her top priorities. The original AEA reform proposal was not well received by either party in either chamber. The result was a long laborious process that reshaped the reform, so it was not nearly as drastic as originally proposed. Everyone wants what is best for the children, but different people on different sides of this issue have different interpretations of the bill and how it will affect the AEAs. I guess time will best tell the story. One group that should be happy is public school teachers. Starting teachers got a good pay raise and this should be a catalyst for all teachers. The AEA issue sucked all the air out of the room and, in my opinion, distracted us from other important priorities.
A Satanic Alter in the State House?
The session also started off with the recent memory of a satanic altar having been placed in the Capitol building. Placing this abomination in the Capitol just before Christmas was a blasphemous, in-your-face, act of contempt toward Christ and Christians. This issue got national attention and started a conversation about the true meaning of the 1st Amendment. I drafted a bill that would ban satanic displays on public property and in public buildings. However, it didn’t get enough traction to even get a subcommittee hearing to explain the bill.
Those who opposed my bill assumed the courts would simply strike it down. My position was, “Let them strike it down, but let’s have the conversation.” It is a simple issue of Man’s law vs. God’s Law. When public policy/man’s laws are contrary to the law of God, then man’s law is wrong. We used to have laws against blasphemy and the courts routinely upheld these laws. Fifty to one hundred years ago (which doesn’t seem that long ago now) a satanic alter would never have been allowed in the State Capitol, nor would After School Satan Clubs have been allowed on school property as is happening today. I wrote letters on this issue (see here).
Life
Protecting the life of the unborn was another important issue that didn’t get much attention this past session. This is largely due to the “Heartbeat Bill” which is hung up in the courts. But I did file a bill to amend the Iowa Constitution, which would have recognized the unborn as persons with rights. Again, there was not enough support to even get a committee assignment.
On the life issue, we did pass a bill out of the House that would have required a film called Baby Olivia to be shown in human biology classes in public schools. The short 5-minute film shows the development of a baby in the womb from fertilization to birth. This would have given young people the life perspective on the unborn with which to counter the abortionist propaganda that claims the baby is “just a blob of cells.” But the bill died in the Senate.
Religious Freedom
We got a big win with the passage of Iowa’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Had this law been in place a few years back, Dick and Betty Odgaard would have had a fighting chance to defend their beliefs when a gay couple sought to use their facility for their wedding. Their religious convictions would not allow them to facilitate a gay wedding because marriage is a sacred institution representing the relationship between Christ and the Church. As a result, they were sued, lost their business and suffered great hardship.
Similar RFRA laws were already in place in many states. These laws provide that the courts must apply heightened scrutiny and show a compelling government interest before it can rule in a way that would burden a person’s free exercise of religion. Again, this is a big win and hopefully people like Dick and Betty will be treated differently in the future in Iowa.
There is much more to report as a recap of the 90th General assembly – some good, some not so good. Stay tuned for Part II.
