Only 2 ‘no’ votes as Iowa House approves 12 bills in speedy debate

DES MOINES - It almost was a clean sweep.

The Iowa House approved 12 bills in less than an hour Wednesday with all but one winning unanimous support.

The lone 'controversial” bill, House File 783, has been proposed a number of times without being approved.

The bill would require surgical centers and hospitals to use evacuation systems to remove surgical smoke from operating rooms, said Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta. Smaller hospitals and surgical centers unable to comply with the law could seek a waiver that would be reviewed annually.

'It's getting more and more dangerous to be a surgical nurse or surgeon,” said Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines.

Surgical lasers produce a smoke that, if inhaled, is the equivalent of smoking 30 unfiltered cigarettes a day and makes operating room staff susceptible to respiratory disease and cancer.

Chemicals found in surgical smoke include benzene, carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, formaldehyde, methane 'and about 150 others that I can't even pronounce,” Hunter said.

Lundgren added that surgical smoke is not only dangerous for doctors and nurses working in operating rooms, 'but it's also bad for the patient that's on the table.”

The bill is was supported by the Association of periOperative Nurses. No interest groups were opposed. Several groups registered 'undecided” on the bill, which was approved 94-2.

In other action

The House unanimously approved:

HF 655, which would make interfering with the transportation of agricultural animals or farm animals in a motor vehicle an aggravated misdemeanor or a felony if convicted more than once.

'In Iowa and other parts of the country, some people have performed such acts of interference that can affect the health and well-being of the animals and cause economic damages,” said Rep. Jon Thorup, R-Knoxville.

If convicted, a person could be fined up to $8,540 and jailed for up to two years for a first offense. Subsequent offenses would be treated as a Class D felony punishable by no more than five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,245.

Veterinarians and livestock commodity groups supported the bill. No interests groups registered in opposition.

A companion bill, Senate File 421, has been approved by the Transportation Committee in that chamber.

HF 773, which directs the Department of Human Services to conduct an inventory of mental health services. It's needed for the state to apply for a Medicaid waiver that would allow federal financial participation for services to treat serious mental illness and emotional disturbances for short-term stays for acute care in mental health institutions, said Rep. Michael Bergan, R-Dorchester.

The inventory will provide DHS with information helpful for setting expectations in regard to changes in service delivery and costs in case a waiver is pursued, he said. It also will help inform the state's mental health regions and state commissions about current resources and identify opportunities to better serve Iowans.

HF 653, which would allow public agencies to enter into joint financial arrangements for the operation of telecommunications systems, similar to what Iowa law allows for public services such as water and wastewater treatment, natural gas and electric power facilities. It would allow local governments and their agencies to acquire, construct, own, operate and extend telecommunications services.

The measure was supported by the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities and opposed by telecommunications companies. Other interest groups were undecided on the bill.

HF 760, which would allow licensed cosmetologists and barbers to ply their trades at wedding venues on the day of a wedding. Current law restricts their practice to licensed salons.

It also would require the Department of Public Health to adopt rules and create a database for the reporting and recording complaints about services performed at those locations.

HF 757, which reduces the requirements for a person who applies for a temporary restricted driver's license after an OWI conviction. Current law requires them to install an ignition interlock device - Breathalyzer - on every vehicle they own. HF 757 would require the interlock only on the vehicles they drive.

'Finally, we get a bill that solves an existing problem,” said Rep. Rick Olson, D-Des Moines.

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