Bills dealing with youth, insurance rates and strangulation become law

DES MOINES – Young people could have alcohol-related offenses expunged from their records if they are not charged with another criminal offense for two years under a bill signed into law by Gov. Chet Culver on Friday.

House File 2233 was among 27 bills that received the governor's signature. Under the measure, Iowans aged 18, 19 and 20 who are charged with possession of alcohol or purchasing alcohol would be able to erase the charges if they incur no other serious criminal charges during a two-year period.

Culver also signed legislation designed to protect families from unreasonable increases in insurance costs when they face extraordinary life events -- such as a job loss, family death, identity theft or military service.

Senate File 2075 would provide some help to Iowans who saw their credit scores drop due to those major events.

Backers said the legislation would require insurance companies to tell consumers when their rates are being raised due to a lower credit score. Affected consumers could provide documentation to reverse the increase or appeal it to the Iowa Insurance Consumer Advocate.

In other action, Culver signed a bill that would create an enhanced penalty for domestic assault cases involving strangulation.

Senate File 2351 would allow law officers to charge a person with an aggravated misdemeanor who attempted to impede a victim's breathing in a choking manner and the charge could be enhanced to a class D non-forcible felony if the assault resulted in bodily injury. The current domestic assault charge is a simple misdemeanor.

Under the bill, the aggravated misdemeanor would carry a prison term of up to two years and a fine between $625 and $6,250, while the class D felony would carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine between $750 and $7,500. However, since the Class D felony would not be a forcible felony, the convicted offender could be eligible for a suspended or deferred sentence.

Also, a driver's education instructor could have one minor traffic accident and still be able to teach under a bill Culver approved.

House File 2466 provides that people who teach driver's education courses would be disqualified if they cause two crashes in a two-year period or if they cause an accident involving serious injury or death.

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rod.boshart@gazcomm.com