Gazette Daily News Podcast: Wednesday, February 7, 2024

– Iowa lawmakers advance bill that sets legal definitions for man and woman

– State pays $5k to settle lawsuit over ISU police chase

– Meet finalists for Cedar Rapids Police Chief this week

Episode Transcript

You are listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast on Wednesday, February 7. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Coming up, Iowa lawmakers advance a bill that sets legal definitions for man and woman

And later, the State pays $5k to settle a lawsuit over an Iowa State University Police chase

Up first, A bill that would define “man” and “woman” in state law and require transgender Iowans to note their pre- and post-transition genders on their driver’s licenses has advanced in the Iowa legislature. The bill was proposed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The bill was amended later Tuesday to eliminate a requirement that transgender Iowans note both their pre- and post-transition genders on their driver’s license. However, both genders would still be noted on birth certificates.

Reynolds’ legislative liaison Molly Severn told lawmakers that men and woman are not identical and called defining a woman in code necessary quote “to protect spaces for women’s health, safety and privacy that are being threatened,like domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers.” end quote.

Opponents of the bill say, just like with school bathrooms and locker rooms, many institutions have shown its possible to provide facilities that accommodate all genders, including transgender people.

Transgender and civil rights advocates and allies packed a committee room and hallway to voice opposition to the bill, which they say would “erase” transgender Iowans from state code.

Reynolds’ bill echoes language associated with the 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy V. Ferguson which declared segregation on the basis of race to be legal. The governor’s bill says the term “equal” does not mean “same” or “identical” and that quote “separate accommodations are not inherently unequal” end quote. It mentions places where people may need to be separated based on their sex assigned at birth, like prisons, domestic violence shelters, locker rooms, restrooms and rape crisis centers.

A three-member house panel advanced the bill Tuesday with Republican Representatives Heather Hora of Washington and Brooke Boden of Indianola in favor. Rep. Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City, opposed.

On the topic of putting sex change information on a driver’s license, Steckman said, quote, “I can’t see any other purpose than discrimination.” end quote.

Next, the State will pay $5,744 to a motorist hit by a former Iowa State University police officer. The motorist was hit in October while the officer was involved in a car chase–one the ISU police officer was not advised to join. The uninvolved driver’s vehicle was more than halfway through the intersection of Oakland Street and Highland Avenue in Ames when the officer failed to stop at a stop sign and hit the vehicle in the intersection. According to a tort claim, the officer hit the passenger rear corner of the vehicle quote “with such force the claimant’s vehicle left the roadway continuing west until striking an apartment building” end quote.

The state is paying for the 2006 Ford Windstar, plus towing and money needed to rent another car. The officer involved was fired and ordered to return $2,328 in unemployment benefits she accrued.

Next, you can meet the four Cedar Rapids police chief finalists tonight. A public meet-and-greet will be held this evening from 5 to 7pm at the Cedar Rapids DoubleTree by Hilton Convention Center at 350 First Ave. The event comes after each of the candidates is interviewed by five panels of city and community leaders during the day. The finalists are: Jennifer Birkhofer, Lieutenant at Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Omaha, Nebraska; Jeff Coday, Captain at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in Nevada; Tom Whitten, Chief Deputy for El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Texas; and David Dostal, Captain in the Administrative Operations Division of the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

As always, you can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

Finally, let’s take a look at today’s weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It keeps getting warmer! Today will be cloudy with an anticipated high of 52 degress. Expect a low of 34 degrees this evening. If you can believe it, Thursday will be even warmer! But it will be windy. Expect a high of 57 degrees and low of 38 degrees.

The Iowa Ideas In-Depth Week on Homelessness kicks off on February 12th. Participate in daily virtual sessions over the lunch hour on homelessness, resources and long-term solutions in Iowa. Register for free at Iowa Ideas dot com.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s 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