IOWA CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE     LEGISLATIVE REPORT

WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 2, 2007

Norm Pawlewski, Lobbyist

            To the Victor Belong The Spoils

This old adage is true, at least for the 2007 Democrat controlled Legislature.  A good example was the passage of Senate File 61, “the establishment of state and school antiharassment and antibullying policies” bill. Senate Republicans offered seven amendments attempting to make the bill more palatable and enforceable.  Each amendment failed on pretty much a party line vote.  It was hoped that this “bullying” bill could be more than the sexual orientation and gender identity recognition bill it was meant to be, and would truly help to protect school children from being bullied for any reason.  That this was a gay activist inspired and promoted bill was attested to in two ways:

1.      Never have I seen so many gay activist lobbyists in the rotunda and the gallery.  The GLBT, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, The Interfaith Alliance, and the State Civil Rights Commission were there to make sure “their” senators would vote “their” way.

2.      The floor speeches by Senator Quirmbach and Senator McCoy (Iowa’s only openly gay legislator) were in praise of their colleagues’ recognition that school children that are perceived or have declared their homosexuality would now be protected. 

It is my personal opinion that school children have no business declaring their sexual preferences until they are adult enough to understand the consequences of their decision.  The homosexual lifestyle is fraught with danger and physical and mental health anomalies that shorten the lifespan, of young men especially, by 20 to 30 years.

            Senate File 61 passed on a vote of 36 yeas and 14 no.  The following 36 senators voted for the bill:

Angelo            Dotzler            Kibbie             Rielly

Appel              Dvorsky          Kreiman         Schmitz

Beall               Fraise             Lundby            Schoenjahn

Black              Gronstal          McCoy            Seng

Bolkcom         Hancock         McKibben      Stewart

Connolly         Hatch              Olive                Ward

Courtney         Heckroth         Putney            Warnstadt

Danielson       Hogg               Quirmbach     Wood

Dearden         Horn                Ragan             Zaun

The following 14 senators voted no:

Behn               Hartsuch         McKinley        Wieck

Boettger         Houser            Mulder            Zieman

Gaskill            Johnson          Noble

Hahn               Kettering        Seymour

Senate File 61 was sent to the House for action.  There is an identical bill in the House, HF 149.  The House will probably take up SF 61 instead of HF 149.  That vote could come anytime during the week beginning Monday, February 5^th.  How will I know when the action will start in the House?  When I see all those lobbyists I mentioned earlier.  They will be there huddling with their gay activist friendly House Representatives.

In my next report I’ll tell you about a few other gay rights bills that are in process. 

If you believe that promoting the homosexual agenda and lifestyle are not the reason you sent your legislator to the Capitol, let them know.  Call, e-mail or write.  They need to hear from you.