Bill would require carbon monoxide alarms in Iowa homes

DES MOINES — Single-family homes and multiresidential dwellings would have to be equipped with carbon monoxide alarms by July 2018 under a bill approved by the Iowa Senate on Monday.

Senate File 2219 would put carbon monoxide detectors on the same level as smoke detectors, said Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, and would provide 'an opportunity to save lives.'

The measure — that would cover existing structures and new construction — passed by a 37-11 margin, with no GOP senator who opposed the bill speaking during floor debate.

Over the past five years, Danielson said, carbon monoxide poisoning has resulted in about 20 deaths annually with between 250 and 300 Iowans emergency room visits the result of residential carbon monoxide poisoning that required up to 40 hospitalizations.

'We think it's time to at least make an attempt to save of some of those lives, also save the costs of emergency room visits and hospitalizations,' said Danielson before the Senate approved the bill and sent it to the Iowa House for consideration.

Birth control

Also Monday, senators voted 26-22 along political party lines, to allow Iowa pharmacists to prescribe or dispense oral hormonal contraceptives in an initial three-month supply that could range up to one year if the patient had no adverse effects.

Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, said she was reluctant to cut doctors out of the process of dispensing medication that would have painful side effects if not taken properly. Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said he opposed the change that carried no age limitation or parental involvement provisions.

Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said the bill would expand family-planning options. She pointed to medical groups who support making such products available without a prescription.

Some health care providers, she added, say the birth control pills have a lower risk of side effects that some over-the-counter pain killers.

The bill (SF 2222) now goes to the GOP-led Iowa House for consideration.

In other action, senators voted 48-0 to:

-- Send Gov. Terry Branstad a House-passed bill (House File 2271) that would boost the criminal penalty for identity theft crimes exceeding $10,000 to a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

-- Approve upgrades contained in Senate File 2265 to Iowa's jury-selection system recommended by a working group the governor appointed to remove bias in the state's criminal justice process.

-- Exempt hair-braiding from state cosmetology licensure if a practitioner passes health and sanitation examinations and is registered with the state Board of Cosmetology. Senate File 2275 includes some inspection requirements in complaint cases.

-- Amend Iowa's competitive bidding process to restrict companies from contracting with the state if they have had criminal convictions, civil violations or other questionable business practices in other states in recent years.