Gazette Daily New Podcast March 16 and 17, 2024

– As funnel week ends, Iowa lawmakers leave some significant bills behind

– The Supreme Court upholds mandatory prison terms for some low-level drug dealers

– C.R. St. Patrick’s Day Parade back to March 17

– Going green for St. Paddy’s Day around C.R.

Episode Transcript

Coming up, the second funnel deadline has passed for the Iowa Legislature. Stay tuned for what lawmakers are saying at the Iowa Capitol.

And later, the Supreme Court is upholding mandatory prison terms for some low-level drug dealers

Plus, what you need to know ahead of the Cedar Rapids St. Patrick’s Day parade

Welcome to the weekend edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

First, the second procedural deadline of the 2024 session of Iowa Legislature has passed. Bills that did not advance are technically ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the session. Although, this does not apply to spending bills or bills on tax policy or budget. Two House education bills failed to pass. This includes a bill that would have required a K-12 social studies curriculum focused on the quote “cultural heritage of Western civilization” end quote. That curriculum would have been written by a conservative think tank. Additionally, a bill that would have limited diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Iowa’s three public universities didn’t move forward. House Republicans approved both of those bills, but Senate Republicans did not advance them.

House and Senate Republican leaders measured success differently after the second funnel week. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Grimes, said the funnel was successful and noted the Senate had a narrow scope for its legislative agenda.

Quote, “I think Iowa’s in a really good spot, and we don’t need that many bills, in my opinion, to make Iowa strong and to keep Iowa strong. And so we don’t need to pass 200 bills, 300 bills to keep Iowa strong.” end quote.

Whitver said Senate Republicans’ remaining work includes crafting a budget, lowering taxes and working on a bill that would overhaul Iowa’s area education agencies.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, said he was frustrated that some bills did not advance in the Senate, like bills that cap what staffing agencies can charge for the help of temporary health care workers. Grassley said some issues that were passed over quote “need to be continued as part of ongoing conversations between the House and the Senate” end quote. Lawmakers could introduce policy bills in future budget proposals or tack policy ideas onto related bills that would effectively resurrect proposals that didn’t advance ahead of the funnel deadline.

Finally, Democratic leaders accused Republicans of voting and passing bills to serve quote “special interests” unquote at the expense of Iowans. Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, said that the issues at hand this session are not issues that Iowans want addressed.

Quote “They have asked us to fully fund education. They have asked us to stop stripping away local control from school boards and cities and counties…They want us to invest in the environment and to have clean water and lakes and rivers. So those are the kinds of things Iowans have been asking us to deal with. And right now we have not been.” end quote.

For a detailed breakdown, read the story linked in this episode’s description.

Next, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that mandatory prison terms will be upheld for thousands of low-level drug dealers. The justices took on the case of Iowan Mark Pulsifer, who was convicted of distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine in 2020. The case looked at whether Pulsifer was eligible for a quote “safety valve” unquote provision in the 2018 First Step act, which is a sentencing reform law. That provision lays out circumstances in which a lower sentence could be given to low-level, non-violent drug dealers who plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors. The fate of Pulsifer’s sentence–and the sentences of thousands of drug dealers in the country–hinged on how to determine eligibility for the safety valve. They considered whether meeting any of the conditions is enough to disqualify someone or whether all three conditions must be met to be ineligible. Pulsifer’s lawyers argued that all three conditions must apply before the longer sentence can be imposed. Pulsifer met two of the three conditions.

Ultimately, the court ruled that Pulsifer did not meet the requirements and that one condition is enough to impose the mandatory minimum. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor were the dissenters. Gorsuch wrote in the dissent that the court’s decision denied thousands of people quote “a chance–just a chance at” end quote a reduced sentence. According to data compiled by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, nearly 6,000 people convicted of drug trafficking in the 2021 budget year alone would have been eligible for reduced sentences. Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the majority that the provision’s language quote “creates an eligibility checklist, and demands that a defendant satisfy every one of its conditions.” end quote.

61-year-old Pulsifer is not scheduled to be released from prison until 2031. Congress could still change the law if it believes the court was wrong.

Sunday, the annual SaPaDaPaSo parade will take the streets of Cedar Rapids. The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Sixth Street and Third Avenue SE. The route will turn down Second Avenue SE, turn onto Second Street SE, and snake back up Third Avenue SE where it will end on Fifth Street SE by Greene Square and the downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library. The parade boasts 90 entries, so expect to enjoy a long procession. The entries range from family floats and walking groups to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. No parking will be enforced along the parade route. Ticketing and towing will start at 10 Sunday morning and streets will be closed off around noon. After the parade, the Champagne School of Irish Dance will hold a free performance and irish dance mini lesson at 3:15 p.m. Find a full list of St. Patrick’s Day events around Eastern Iowa at the link in this episode’s description.

If you’re looking for a recap of the past week’s Iowa news, look for our Sunday “Week in Iowa” recap. Find that at thegazette.com.

Now, let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Saturday will be windy. Expect a high of 53 degrees and a low of 25 degrees. Sunday will be sunny. Anticipate a high of 40 degrees and a low of 19 degrees. Monday will also be sunny. Expect a high of 39 degrees and a low of 26 degrees.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com