By Tom Chapman and Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
The “human smuggling” bill, HSB 15, which the Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC) believes is unnecessary, passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 13-4 vote Feb. 20. Federal and state law already prohibit human trafficking. Secondly, concern exists that overzealous officials could interpret the bill to criminalize providing basic charity to immigrants. Lawmakers added an amendment to the bill but the content will not become public until the updated bill is published.
The ICC also registered in opposition to HSB 187, which would require local law enforcement agencies to sign agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The bill effectively turns local officials into ICE agents. Typically, the ICC opposes bills that charge local police with enforcing federal immigration law. Some law enforcement personnel report that it harms community relations, which is the best tool to prevent and report criminal activity. The proposed legislation passed out of subcommittee Feb. 20 and is eligible for consideration by the Judiciary Committee this week.
HSB 139, the “Med Act” bill providing conscience protections for medical professionals, has passed the House Judiciary Committee. The committee also passed HSB 140, a bill pertaining to defendants on probation that would provide credits off probation time for education and work. The ICC supports both bills.
The governor’s preschool and childcare bill, HSB 145, passed a subcommittee. It would allow community providers such as Catholic preschools to apply directly to the state Department of Education for funding. The proposal includes a grant program for partnerships between childcare programs and preschools. The bill would also require the Department of Education to work with Health and Human Services on an accountability system for preschool programs. The ICC supports the bill.
SF 175, a bill requiring schools to show students a video on fetal development, received the Senate’s approval on a 31-13 vote. The ICC supports the proposed legislation because it would ensure that students could see how the miracle of life develops in the womb. The bill now goes to the House. The House Education Committee has already approved a similar bill, HF 391.
HSB 242, a bill that would remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, now advances to the full Iowa House and has been renumbered HF 583. The bill would require classification of individuals as male or female as clinically verified at birth. The bill strikes out any reference to discrimination based on gender. It states, “Gender when used alone in reference to males, females, or other natural differences between males and females shall be considered a synonym for sex and shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.” Iowa’s bishops have not taken a position on the bill.
New bill introductions
SF 320 would bring back the death penalty in Iowa for the murder of a peace officer on duty. The ICC has registered in opposition. A subcommittee hearing has been not been scheduled yet.
Lawmakers have introduced HSB 186, which would require abortion providers to inform women about the possibility of reversing the effects of abortion medication. Women would have to receive the pills in person at a clinic, medical office or hospital. Currently, the medication is easily available online with no medical supervision. A subcommittee was to consider the bill at press time. The ICC supports the bill.
National issues
On Feb. 18, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) challenged the government’s unlawful suspension of funding for its refugee admissions program. For decades, the USCCB has partnered with the U.S. government and locally based Catholic partners, such as Catholic Charities in Des Moines, to help nearly a million individuals find safety and build their lives in the United States.
The USCCB also opposes the federal administration’s push for in vitro fertilization (IVF) because it destroys human life. President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for policies that make IVF less costly and more affordable. “The IVF industry treats human beings like products and freezes or kills millions of children who are not selected for transfer to a womb or do not survive,” the USCCB statement says.
(Tom Chapman is the executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of Iowa’s bishops.)
