The following is a legislative update from Republican State Senator Doug Campbell of Mason City, representing portions of Worth, Mitchell, Cerro Gordo and Floyd counties in Iowa Senate District 30:
Hello and what a week it has been wrapping up the 91st General Assembly!
Please take into consideration the information in this newsletter is voluminous. It is the cumulation, culmination, and finalization of this year’s legislative work.
HF 2695-American Law for American Courts: This bill protects citizens against courts applying foreign laws when it will violate constitutional rights. It makes unenforceable any court decision that bases its ruling on any legal system that would not recognize the rights of that person under our Constitution. It also renders contracts unenforceable insofar as their provisions violate the rights of the parties under our Constitution.
This does not apply to a business that has contracts that subject itself to foreign law in a foreign country. This also does not apply to a church as it exercises its religious activities; but this bill does not protect religious activities that are unlawful.
The reason for this bill is that courts have at times cited foreign law as a support for their ruling. Courts are not subject to foreign laws but only to the laws and constitutions of the state and of the United States.
SF 2465-Iowa Farm Act: This bill has a wide variety of agricultural provisions: Makes a number of upgrades to the Choose Iowa program. Expands the ability of food banks to buy certain foods from Iowa farms and businesses. Data protections are established for livestock operations. Updates weights and measures regulations. Increases the allowable length for transporting agricultural equipment. Definition of “farm crop” expanded to include fungus used for food, feed or fiber, nuts, maple syrup, mushroom, and Christmas trees. Expands the law’s definition of “agricultural experience” to include agri-tourism activities and events. Sales tax exemption provided for the sale of honeybees.Makes certain changes to the Grain Indemnity Fund modernization that was passed last year. Allows grain dealers who do credit contract sales to either have an unqualified audit performed or to provide a financial statement accompanied by a CPA report based on a review performed by that CPA and accompanied with a $100,000 bond. Effective immediately. (This part was also passed a couple weeks ago, but was also in this bill.)
HF 2297-Radon Mitigation: New single-family and 2-family homes are required to include a passive method for radon mitigation.
HF 2348-Animal Torture: Animal torture perpetrated on companion animals is defined very specifically and the penalty is increased to a felony.
HF 2757-Sales Tax Exemption for Nuclear Facilities: Establishes a sales tax exemption for construction of a nuclear electric generation facility.
Included in HF 2676-Physical Activity: Increases the minimum school day daily physical activity requirement for K-4 students from 30 minutes to 40 minutes.
HF 2493-5-Year Old Pre-School: Allows certain 5-year olds to attend the state pre-school program if they have not attended it as a 4-year old.
SF 2422-Welfare Eligibility Reforms: HHS is required to use federal immigration databases to verify applicants’ immigration and U.S. citizenship status for public assistance programs eligibility. This applies to SNAP, Medicaid, FIP, and CHIP.
SF 2284-Traffic Cameras: Establishes regulations for automatic license plate readers so that the data collected is only used for purposes that are specified in the bill and is not allowed to be accessed for unauthorized purposes.
HF 2598-Human Trafficking Prevention: An applicant for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) must complete a course on human trafficking prevention.
HF 1036-Human Trafficking Law Reform: Minors that are arrested or that are victims of child abuse shall undergo a human trafficking screening. Minors will have 5 years after turning 18 to file civil litigation in human trafficking cases. Prosecutors can refer underage prostitution suspects to juvenile services rather than charge them with a crime. HHS is to develop a plan for expanding services for minor victims of human trafficking.
SF 639-Iowa Business Court: Establishes a court dedicated to handling complex topics involving business, corporations, and investments. It would have the same authority as a district court.
HF 2772-Economic Development Budget: Appropriates $73.6 million for the operation of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Finance Authority, and their programs.
HF 2783-Education Budget: Appropriates a little over $1 billion for the Regents universities, community colleges, the Iowa Tuition Grant, vocational training and workforce training.
HF 2782-HHS Budget: Appropriates a little over $3 billion for the Medicaid program and other programs assisting women, children, families, those with disabilities, seniors, mental health services, public health programs, the HAWK-I program, veterans’ programs, opioid treatments programs, etc.
HF 2771-Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget: Appropriates $166 million for the operations of the Dept. of Agriculture and its programs and the Dept. of Natural Resources and its programs, to include state parks, the REAP program, water quality, soil conservation, wastewater treatment, etc.
SF 2484-Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund: Appropriates $268 million from gambling revenue for infrastructure projects around the state.
HF 2788-Chemical Abortion: Requires abortion medication to be prescribed and administered in person by medical professionals licensed to do so and it must be dispensed to the woman who will take it, not a third party. Also requires written informed consent including information about the risks of the drugs and how to access medical care. Outlines a pathway for the woman to bring civil litigation against the provider of the drugs. The intent is to limit the potential availability of mail-order medications like mifepristone and misoprostol, coming from out-of-state sources.
Even though Iowa currently has the Heartbeat Law to protect unborn babies, 63% of abortions are committed now using chemical abortion pills, according to the Guttmacher Institute. 25% of abortions are committed by desperate women ordering the chemical abortion pills online either themselves or through an abortionist and getting them sent to them through the mail.
84% of abortion drugs dispensed by mail are shipped to states with pro-life laws, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Illicit networks across the country illegally traffic drugs into states with strong pro-life protections. This is a total lack of respect for and flagrant violation of our state’s heartbeat law. We are now at the place where the claim of the abortion-free state, or pro-life state, is a myth. These drugs have become nothing less than murder weapons. We must protect our women and children against bad actors from other states.
Chemical abortions are now totally unregulated. While the number of abortions from abortionists has gone down, that is not the total picture. Because there is no reporting required, no one knows how many abortions are being done. But what records we do have show that it certainly has not gone down, but instead has increased from 880,000 in 2020 to 1.1 million in 2024 in spite of the repeal of Roe v. Wade, according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute.
According to the FDA, roughly 1 in 25 women who take chemical abortion pills will end up in the emergency room. That’s about 20,000 women per year. 11% of women who take them report an adverse event, according to a recent study conducted by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the largest-known study of the abortion pill. The abortion pill is 22 times more dangerous than was first reported. Dangers for women are hemorrhaging, sepsis, infection, other complications and death. This is why the FDA is now calling for a review of mifepristone because it is unsafe for women.
Another encouraging sign is that a few days ago the 5th Circuit Federal Court ruled that the chemical abortion drugs must not be sent through the mail and that the FDA must put more protective regulations on the dispensing of these drugs.
However, with the federal government’s lack of action thus far to enforcing the federal law which already prohibits the mailing of abortion drugs across state lines, states are left to figure out how to protect women and their babies by ourselves. This is a pretty difficult task and while this bill is a good first step, more still needs to be done.
HF 864-Age Verification: This bill updates our current laws regarding a minor’s access to pornography to reflect current technology. It requires a company on the internet that distributes pornography to have an individual use an age verification system (18 and older) in order to access the pornography. Minors are to be denied access. Enforcement is through civil action by the Attorney General against the company that violates this law.
Research shows pornography damages children, kills marriages and introduces struggles and addictions families must deal with. This bill is about protecting kids. Protecting people is one of the most basic purposes of government.
Pornography actually changes the physical functioning of the brain causing addiction. It is a worse addiction than alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in this way: you can’t throw the substance away and separate yourself from it. Your brain can call up an image at any time. You can’t ever unsee that image.
Pornography is now delivered to everyone virtually unhindered no matter what age through the internet. It is accessed on your computer, ipad, tablet, cell phone, etc. in a matter of seconds at any time. Data shows social media sites are the primary way children are exposed to porn. A study of
university students found that 93% of men had seen internet pornography during adolescence. That’s almost total saturation.
The Supreme Court has ruled that pornography is not protected speech. It does not enjoy 1st Amendment protection. The Supreme Court has also ruled that lawmakers have the right, and I would add responsibility, to shield children from pornography and they have said that age verification is an appropriate enforcement tool.
Half the states have enacted this law. The Trump administration is urging foreign nations to enact this law.
Pornography is an equal opportunity destroyer. This bill helps to protect its targets. We owe our kids this protection.
Look into Iowa Senate Bill 2472- A bill for an act relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial authority, and budgets, modifying divisions of revenue, establishing a program for first-time homebuyers, modifying appropriations, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions. (Formerly SSB 3001.) I have also attached a document explaining in further detail the property tax bill. Here is link where you can find more information as well: https://legiscan.com/IA/bill/SF2472/2025
We will be discovering the results of implementing this taxation code (SF2472) and as we receive feedback, we will be able to improve going forward. Please look into both links I have attached to this email as there is a large amount of applicable information.
I will continue to oppose eminent domain for private gain. The majority of senators agree with me on this issue. Misuse of eminent domain is a constitutional crisis that will ultimately be resolved in the Supreme Court of the United States. However, any reprieve through this process for the landowners would be very refreshing.
It’s a privilege and a pleasure to serve Senate District 30.
