Which laws are living or dying on funnel week at the Iowa Legislature?

DES MOINES - An effort to expand broadband Internet access in Iowa - a priority of Gov. Terry Branstad two years in the making - was approved Wednesday by a committee of state lawmakers, keeping the proposal alive in this year's legislative session.

The proposal advanced with widespread support from both parties, but only after removal of a $5 million state grant program.

Legislative activity bustled Wednesday as lawmakers face a Friday deadline for keeping some bills alive this year: Policy bills must have the approval of at least one full committee by the end of this week. Bills that contain spending measures or tax policy are not subject to this week's deadline.

The House Commerce Committee altered and then approved its version of the broadband bill. The biggest change was removing a state-funded grant program for companies seeking to expand broadband access to unserved areas.

In its place, the committee placed a measure that would allow for the leverage of any federal grants that become available by allowing businesses to partner on a broadband expansion project. The cost would be shared - 90 percent by the business and 10 percent by the federal grant, the committee's chairman said.

The House bill also extended from three to 10 years a property tax exemption for new broadband infrastructure projects.

'I think this is absolutely meaningful, and it's a good step,” said Rep. Peter Cownie, R-West Des Moines, the committee chairman.

The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to consider its broadband bill Thursday. The Senate bill is similar; a key difference is it still contains the $5 million grant appropriation.

Measures that passed a committee and remain alive this year include these among others:

Mental health funding

The Senate Human Resources Committee voted unanimously to keep open the mental health institutes in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda until a 'suitable and appropriate” comprehensive plan for treatment and long-term care for patients is developed by the state Department of Human Services and approved by the Legislature.

Radon testing

Committees in both chambers passed separate bills designed to address potentially harmful radon gases in homes and school buildings.

The House Local Government Committee approved HSB 178 to require school districts test every school building for the presence of radon, a colorless, odorless gas believed to be a leading cause of lung cancer.

Last year, the Legislature encouraged districts to test for radon, but a Department of Education survey found that only 18 percent of districts have conducted tests. Another 59 percent said they would not test unless required to do so.

The Senate State Government Committee voted 9-6 to approve a bill designed to protect homebuyers from the harmful effects of radon gas. Senate Study Bill 1122 would require the Iowa building code to include provisions to protect newly constructed homes from radon exposure.

Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, the bill's sponsor, said requiring a radon detection system in new residential construction would add $400 to the cost of a new home versus about $2,000 to take remedial action to mitigate an existing problem.

McCoy noted that Iowa leads the nation in radon with a high percentage of homes having levels of the gas above Environmental Protection Agency-recommended levels.

Time off for caucuses

The Senate State Government Committee voted 10-5 to pass a bill that would allow Iowans to take up to four hours of unpaid time off from work to attend a presidential precinct caucus.

Under Senate Study Bill 1062, employees would be able to make written applications with their employer two weeks in advance for time off without incurring any penalty or pay deduction.

Elected officials' contact information

Most Iowa elected officials would be required to post their phone number and email address on government websites under HSB 135, which was approved 23-0 by the House State Government Committee. Committee members, however, suggested carving out exceptions for judges and county attorneys, who, they said, could be subjected to harassment and stalking.

Also, legislators questioned whether elected officials should have to list personal emails and phone numbers.

'That makes some of us kind of queasy,” Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, said.

Only six of the 23 committee members list their home addresses on the Legislature website and only four list their personal phone numbers. All of them list the House switchboard phone number as their contact number.

Epinephrine shots

The Human Service Committee unanimously passed a bill, SSB 1244, that would allow school nurses to administer epinephrine when they reasonably think a student is having an anaphylactic or allergic reaction even if the student does not have a prescription.

In the past, a major concern for school districts has been the cost associated with epinephrine auto-injectors. A manufacturer, however, has agreed to give the epi-pens to schools.

Statute of limitations

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously agreed to expand the statute of limitations for when civil action could be brought in child sex abuse cases.

Senate File 107 extends the time for filing a lawsuit relating to sexual abuse of a minor from the current one year after a person turns 18 to a period of 25 years after a person reaches 18, said Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines. The bill would not be applied retroactively.

The committee also passed a separate measure, Senate File 296, which would establish a serious misdemeanor crime for the unauthorized placement of a global positioning device on a vehicle. Committee chairman Sen. Steve Sodders, D-Marshalltown, said the measure was designed to target domestic abusers who attempt to stalk a victim by placing a GPS device without knowledge or consent.

lights on bicycles

In the Senate Transportation Committee, senators voted to require bicycle operators to have a light mounted on the rear of their bikes when riding on roadways in Iowa between sunset and sunrise. Current law requires only a reflector with the option for a rear-mounted light.

Senate File 241 was amended, however, to allow riders to affix a light on the back of their helmet or backpacks in lieu of a bicycle light. Violators also would have 72 hours to get their bicycle into compliance to avoid the $25 scheduled fine.

Interstate mental health contracts

Committee members also approved a plan to allow interstate contracts for mental health beds that will assist communities bordering Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois. The committee also passed a drug overdose prevention measure that would grant immunity to someone living with a chronic substance abuser to possess and administer an 'opioid antagonist” while seeking medical assistance in response to a drug overdose situation.

Plasma gasification

A bill, HF162, that adds plasma gasification to hierarchy of methods of disposing of solid waste was unanimously approved by the House Environmental Protection Committee.

The bill places plasma gasification behind recycling but ahead of incineration and landfilling, according to Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids.

The bill is important to the city of Marion, which has been working with Plasma Power of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to develop a facility that can zap garbage into energy using its plasma-arc technology to turn virtually all trash into energy, with the residue made into insulation.