Cedar Rapids legislator seeking middle ground on ‘Right to Assistance’ bill

DES MOINES - A Cedar Rapids lawmaker is seeking middle ground on a legislative proposal city officials see as a threat to their comprehensive nuisance ordnance.

'My concern is that this bill would trump every nuisance ordinance in the state,” Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, said of House File 493 Tuesday.

He hopes to draft an amendment before the bill comes to the floor for debate - possibly Wednesday - to allow Cedar Rapids and other cities to continue to enforce their nuisance ordinances.

According to its critics, the so-called 'Right to Assistance” bill would kill a key provision of Cedar Rapids' SAFE-CR nuisance abatement ordinance. The city assesses points against property owners for some police calls to their properties.

Supporters of HF 493, including landlords and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, say residents shouldn't have to worry that if they dial 911 they might get evicted. City officials call that fiction.

So Rizer is trying to draft language to allow Cedar Rapids to maintain its nuisance abatement effort, 'but protect people calling for emergency assistance without fear of being penalized.”

Landlords, he added, want protection from being penalized for emergency calls by tenants.

'We want to maintain order without penalizing anyone for legitimate emergencies,” he said.