Week in Iowa, July 1, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Iowa leaders defend youth employment: Iowa's Republican leaders, both at the state level and in Congress, pushed back against federal regulators who have cited Iowa restaurants in recent weeks for employing teens outside the hours imposed by federal law. Iowa law was changed last year to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work longer hours than federal law allows. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the Department of Labor was excessively fining small businesses for violating “outdated child labor regulations.“

Iowa's congressional representatives said their offices have received complaints from small businesses for "excessive penalties" by the U.S. Department of Labor. Several Iowa restaurants are facing penalties up to $180,000 for following the new state law. Iowa's delegation acknowledged the conflict between the state and federal laws, but they said more than 25 states also have laws that conflict with federal employment laws. They questioned whether states like Minnesota and Illinois have received similar investigations.

Utilities fined over delayed marking: Three Iowa utility providers will pay the state $50,000 each in settlements for inaccurate and slow marking of underground infrastructure in violation of Iowa's One Call law. After an investigation by the state in 2022, the three companies — MidAmerican Energy, Mediacom and CenturyLink — changed their practices and significantly lowered their late response rate. The companies must give regular reports to the state tracking their late response rate as part of the settlement.

Former police chief sentenced to prison: A former Iowa police chief was sentenced to five years in prison last week for lying to authorities to buy machine guns that he then sold for his own profit. Former Adair Police Chief Brad Wendt was indicted in 2022 on charges that he bought machine guns for the police department, then sold them and profited $80,000. Wendt also mounted a .50-caliber machine gun to his personal armored Humvee.

Iowa Democrats debate ditching Biden: Iowa Democrats expressed deep concerns about President Joe Biden's viability as the Democratic presidential candidate after a halting debate performance last week that fueled questions about his mental fitness and led some Democrats to call for him to drop out of the race. Biden's campaign has remained defiant and said he intends to stay in the race.

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa said in a private note to friends that the debate was a "disaster from which Biden cannot recover." He called on Biden to release his delegates and allow them to pick a new candidate at the national convention in August. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart expressed support for Biden's candidacy, while others said the decision to stay in the race or drop out was his to make, and did not weigh in one way or another.

Waterloo officers shot: Two police officers in Waterloo were shot last weekend after attempting to use non-lethal force on a suspect with a gun, investigators said. Investigators said Kelvin Lee Plain Jr., 35, was riding a bicycle and carrying a gun early Sunday. Plain fled police when they attempted to engage him, and an officer fired a taser at Plain, knocking him to the ground. He fired on the officers, and they returned fire, killing Plain. The two officers are in stable condition.

Smithfield plant closing: Smithfield Foods is closing a ham boning facility in Altoona, leaving 314 workers without jobs. The closure follows the shuttering of a Tyson plant in Perry, which left more than 1,000 workers without jobs. Production at the Smithfield plant will move to Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska, and the Virginia-based company said the move would improve efficiency.

They said ...

“The department is excessively fining small Iowa businesses to the point of closure for violating outdated child labor regulations that were set in the 1930s. Our workforce and workplaces look much different than they did 85 years ago, and Iowa's child labor laws reflect that. It’s time the DOL update its own regulations to recognize the reality of our modern work world." -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on fines given to Iowa restaurants

“The timing is so bad because it throws the national convention into chaos. When I look around, there are a lot of good people out there, but we’re so far down that path it’s hard for the president to step aside and people within the Democratic Party to decide: What do we do next?” -- Linn County Democratic Party Chair Bret Nilles on President Joe Biden's candidacy

Odds and ends

Hemp law takes effect: A law regulating the levels of THC in consumable hemp products took effect this past week after a judge denied a lawsuit from two beverage companies to block its enforcement. Another hearing is scheduled for this month, where several CBD companies will argue that the serving size requirements are unconstitutionally vague.

New board formed: Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed members this past week to the new state Board of Behavioral Health Professionals. The board is a merger between boards of psychology, social work and behavioral sciences. Six of the board's members were on the previous boards, while two members are new.

Water cooler

Human trafficking law: A state law that took effect this past week heightens penalties for human traffickers. The law increases the mandatory minimum sentence for human traffickers convicted of a class B felony. The law also provides victims with access to advocates for support during criminal proceedings.

Google data center: Google will invest another $1 billion into its Council Bluffs-area data center, making it among the largest in the world. The company has already invested more than $5.5 billion in Iowa since 2007 and generated more than $1.8 billion in economic activity.