Iowa Senate passes comprehensive domestic violence bill

DES MOINES - Iowa senators voted 50-0 Wednesday to pass a comprehensive measure to deal with crimes of domestic violence.

The Senate approved an amended version of House File 2399 that included multiple additions to current law that Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, said were intended to 'really strike at the heart of these abusers and put in place the ability to protect victims in the state of Iowa.”

Among the provisions the bill would classify dating violence as domestic abuse assault; criminalize stalking through the use of a GPS device and expand the definition of what constitutes stalking in Iowa's criminal code.

The proposed changes also would create a mandatory-minimum punishment for stalking, harassment and in cases where offenders were convicted of three or more domestic abuse offenses, said Sodders, the bill's floor manager. Judges also would have the discretion to set a higher mandatory minimum sentence.

Other provisions would require risk assessments for domestic abusers, provide for electronic monitoring of domestic abusers, eliminate deferred judgments or deferred sentences for people convicted of domestic abuse stalking, domestic abuse harassment or three or more domestic abuse assaults, and deny earned time for abusers refusing to participate in batterer's programming.

'We have an opportunity to protect more victims in Iowa with this bill,” said Sodders before senators sent the bill to the Iowa House for further consideration.