The fourteenth week of the legislative session is nearing the end. We’re working on finishing the 2024 Legislative Session, so we continue to debate many bills that better Iowa.

Public Safety Bills Head to the Governor’s Desk

As the session moves towards its completion, more policy bills are headed to the Governor’s desk for her approval. Below is a list of some Public Safety bills that have passed both the House and Senate and are awaiting action by the Governor.

House File 2422 – Accessory After the Fact

Raises the penalty for accessory after a crime was committed. The charge is a class “D” felony if the offense was a violation of murder in the first, or second degree, or solicitation to commit murder.

The charge is an aggravated misdemeanor if the offense was a felony not listed above and a simple misdemeanor if the offense was a misdemeanor.

House File 2592 – Updates to Brady Giglio Law

Allows an officer the right to petition the district court, appeal, or intervene in an action regarding the county attorney’s decision to place the officer on a brady Giglio list.

This gives the court jurisdiction over the prosecutor’s decisions on this matter.

The court shall perform an in-camera review of the evidence and may hold a closed hearing. The court may affirm, modify, or reverse a prosecutor’s decision and issues orders to remove the officers name from a brady Giglio list. Evidence presented shall be kept confidential. Standard of proof under this chapter shall be preponderance of the evidence.

House File 2605 – Hemp Products

HF 2605 Makes changes to the Iowa Hemp Act. HF 2605 does not impact the Medical Cannabis Program. It ensures that those who illegally produce or sell consumable hemp can be prosecuted and not slip through the cracks if they are violating the law. Prohibits sales to those under 21. Consumable hemp products may not be mixed with alcoholic beverages in licensed facilities. THC is capped at 4mg of THC max per serving, 10 mg max per container. No synthetic THC can be produced or sold. Labels on THC products similar to labels on alcohol warning of risks of use.

SF 2161 – False Reports to Law Enforcement

It is a class “D” felony if a person makes a false report or call to public safety officials and claims there is a: forcible felon occurring (felonious child endangerment, assault, murder, sexual abuse, kidnapping, robbery, human trafficking, arson in the first degree, or burglary in the first degree), intimidation with a dangerous weapon, an act of terrorism, unlawful possession of biological agents or diseases, any arson crime. If one of the false claims above is made, and the information results in serious bodily injury or death of another, the person who made the false report is guilty of a class “C” felony.

As you can see, Iowa House Republicans are working hard to ensure that we pass bills to benefit Iowa. We will continue debating more bills that improve our state next week. Feel free to reach out to me at joshua.meggers@legis.iowa.gov if you ever have any comments, questions, or concerns about House business.

Rep. Meggers’ district, Iowa House District 54, includes all of Grundy and Hardin counties and several rural townships on the far western edge of Black Hawk County. He can be reached via email: joshua.meggers@legis.iowa.gov.