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Which ag and environment bills made it through Iowa’s first funnel of 2024?
Last-second amendment to Senate bill would prohibit state universities from studying meat substitutes
Feb. 19, 2024 5:00 am
Iowa lawmakers have considered a bumper crop of agriculture and natural resources bills already in 2024, tweaking some in the final hours before the first funnel deadline last week.
Here’s an update on 12 bills that remain open for passage and two that did not survive the funnel.
Water quality
The House Agriculture committee recommended amending and passing House Study Bill 674, which would handicap watershed management authorities from some water quality improvement efforts. The amendment redirects funding from the state’s bluffland protection program to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for park ranger equipment and park accessibility updates. It also allows authorities to use funding from sources other than the state agriculture agency for water quality efforts not included in the Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
Senate File 455, which got subcommittee approval Jan. 17, would restrict counties and cities from adopting regulations stricter than what the state permits for topsoil management at construction sites. It would also limit regulations local jurisdictions can place on the stormwater infrastructure required for new developments.
The bill’s initial version banned additional regulations, but an amendment would allow tighter rules only if the city or county pays the developer’s costs to implement them.
Builders — including Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, who introduced the bill — have complained more stringent regulations drive up their costs, which they pass on to new homebuyers. But Amy Foster, Coralville stormwater coordinator, said homeowners pay for lax building requirements because their lack of topsoil means they will need more water, grass seed or sod over the years to maintain vegetation.
Agriculture
Last week, Senate Republicans amended Senate Study Bill 3162 to bar Iowa’s state universities from doing research on production or use of manufactured protein products. The bill initially was about clear labeling of non-meat products, but the rider was added Thursday.
Senate File 2204 would require the Secretary of State to do more tracking and reporting of foreign farmland ownership and give the Iowa Attorney General subpoena power to investigate violations. These more detailed reports required of foreign owners would remain secret from most Iowans. The bill also would increase fines for entities that don’t report in a timely manner.
A subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture Committee recommended passage Jan. 30 and the full committee approved the bill Feb. 1.
A Senate subcommittee last week voted 2-to-1 to advance Senate Study Bill 3163, which says pesticide manufacturers can’t be sued for failing to alert people of potential health risks if the product has a federally-approved warning label.
House File 572, which would prohibit flying a drone over a “secure farmstead,” passed the Iowa House last year and the Senate Natural Resources and Environment committee recommended passage Feb. 6.
DNR authority
A Senate committee approved Senate Study Bill 3152, which would allow animal feedlots to operate under proposed manure plans before receiving DNR approval or during an appeal process. An amended version requires feedlots to remove manure from storage basins if necessary to prevent water quality violations and allows certain emergency manure removals.
Senate Study Bill 3103, which the Senate Natural Resources and Environment committee approved Jan. 25, says the DNR would no longer be able to accept anonymous complaints about possible environmental violations.
A House subcommittee recommended indefinite postponement for House File 2104, which would restrict the Iowa DNR from acquiring property through public auctions. Its study bill counterpart in the Senate was approved as a bill with an amendment clarifying that the Iowa DNR can only accept property donated by a nonprofit if it was not purchased at a land auction.
Additional legislative updates include:
- House Study Bill 636 would establish a raccoon bounty program where the state would shell out $5 per raccoon tail turned into the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The study bill faced heavy criticism but was ultimately approved and renumbered as House File 2481.
- Last year, the Iowa Legislature required an independent review of the Iowa Utilities Board’s responsibilities and procedures. The 200-plus-page review calls for utilities to regularly update long-term resource plans as markets, technology and policies change — which would better inform the board during rate-making decisions. Senate File 2244, approved in the commerce committee last week, would require electric utilities to file such plans within one year of the bill’s enactment.
- Senate File 530, passed out of subcommittee Jan. 17, creates penalties for public bodies selling water. This bill was proposed months after parts of a northwest Iowa river ran dry because a local water utility was selling the water out of state.
- Two regulatory bills proposed by Democrats were not assigned to a committee and likely are dead for the session. House File 2124 would place a moratorium on new animal confinement structures and House File 2029 would require buffer strips between crops and waterways.
Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com
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