It was a short work week for the legislators, as both the Senate and the House convened for three days only, with Monday being a holiday and Friday being a usual day off. The only thing to note from the House Public Safety Committee is a change in the subcommittee for HF 573 - also known by IFC as the "Iowa Family Defense Act." The bill has been assigned to a subcommittee of Windschitl, Baudler, and R. Olson. According to Rep. Windschitl, there will likely be some wording changes to the bill before it gets to the House floor, but he is fully committed to getting this legislation out of the Public Safety Committee and up to the full House for a vote.
The big news comes from the Senate Natural Resources and Enviornment Committee and the House Natural Resources Subcommittee. SJR 2001 was passed out of subcommittee by a 2-1 vote, and HJR 2001 was passed out of subcommittee by a 3-2 vote. These two pieces of legislation are written to remove the Iowa Department of Natural Resources administrative rule on the ban of lead shot during Iowa's new dove hunting season. The NRA and IFC have lobbied hard to protect the rights of Iowans and to defend the use of lead shot, while groups such as The Sierra Club, The Humane Society, and Lead Is Poison Coalition are fighting to keep the ban in place. Full committee votes are schedule for this week. The Senate Natural Resources and Enviornment Committee will have a vote at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, January 24, while the House Natural Resources Subcommittee will hold their vote on Thursday, January 26 at 3:00 PM. For more information, you can visit the NRA-ILA's press announcement about both bills.
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