CHRISTIAN COALITION OF IOWA

LEGISLATIVE REPORT

Norm Pawlewski – Lobbyist

January 16 – January 27, 2006

The Legislature has devoted most of their time to appropriations the first few weeks of this session.  They have spent very little time in floor debate thus far.  This pre-occupation with the budget at the start of the session is not unusual.  That does not mean that they are ignoring issues that have little to do with appropriations.  Standing committees have been discussing and both Democrat and Republican caucuses have taken up a number of subjects, such as sexual predators, statewide standards for K-12 education system, renewable fuels, the Iowa scholars program, bird flu planning, the education allowable growth rate and eminent domain use restrictions, to name a few. 

CCI tracks bills introduced in both houses of the legislature, assigning to each a position or declaration (i.e., For – Against – Undecided).  We are currently tracking 7 Senate Files, 12 House Files and 2 House Study Bills; the detail of which can be found on our web site, iowachristian.com. 

Our two priorities for this week are lobbying the Senate to bring up HJR-1, the Marriage Amendment Resolution and S.F. 2057 – An act relating to the prohibition of human reproductive cloning and providing penalties.  A “companion bill” (i.e., an identical bill introduced in the other chamber) H.F. 2097 is also being lobbied.  These bills, on the surface, may appear to be a restriction on cloning human embryos.  So we should support them, right?  Wrong, this legislation amends current Iowa Law passed in 2002 and not for the better.  S.F. 2057 and H.F. 2097 would permit creating and killing embryos for the purpose of medical experimentation and the growing of body parts.  We have labeled them the “Clone and Kill” bills.  It’s the bills that need to be killed, not the embryos. 

            ACTION STEPS:

1.       Go to www.iowachristian.com and follow the steps needed to download either S.F.

2057 or H.F. 2097.  Remember, they are identical.

2.       S.F. 2057 was introduced by Sen. Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City (home of Iowa

University Hospital who fiercely fought the cloning legislation in 2002).

It has been assigned to a subcommittee made up of Senators Joe Bolkcom and Jack Hatch, the two Democrats and Senators Jim Seymour and Maggie Tinsman, the two Republicans.  Contact these senators and politely request that they not amend out current restrictions on human cloning. If they tell you that this legislation places a restriction on cloning for reproductive purposes and is therefore a good thing, read them the second sentence in the explanation of the bill which states:  Previously, the chapter (707B. 1-4)  prohibited all human cloning.  These bills weaken current restrictions on playing God.

      “For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my

      mother’s womb.”  Psalm 139:13

Rep. Mary Mascher, another Iowa City legislator, introduced H.F. 2097.  At this writing, a subcommittee has not yet been named.

In my next report, I will focus on where we are on the marriage amendment.