Iowa Civil Liberties Union AN AFFILIATE OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION

Transcription

1 Iowa Civil Liberties Union AN AFFILIATE OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION 505 5th Ave. Suite 901 Des Moines, IA CIVIL LIBERTIES VOTING RECORD IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2003 # 1. REPRODUCTIVE PRIVACY: HF 206; Increases the applicable age of mandatory child abuse reporting from under age 12 to under age 16. Also requires members of the clergy to be mandatory reporters of child abuse. Passed House 7622, 2/26. Passed Senate 3312,4/21. Vetoed by governor. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a ~ # 2. DUE PROCESS: SF 402; Allows for the admissibility of prior criminal offenses in the prosecution of certain sexual offenses. Passed Senate 481, 3/25. Passed House 980, 4/22. Signed by governor. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. # 3. ENHANCED PENALTIES: HF 65; Changes the limit for blood/alcohol " concentration while driving a motor vehicle from.lo to.08 percent. Passed House 8115, 2/6. Passed Senate 464 4/15. Signed by governor. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. #4. WARRANTLESS SEARCHES: HF 265; Allows for the withdrawal of blood without a warrant from a person under arrest for OWl under certain circumstances. Passed House 888, 3/4. No Senate vote. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. # 5. REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: SF 3; Adds mifepristone (RU486) as a method used for induced termination of pregnancy in the state's statistical reporting requirements. Passed Senate 426,3/17. Passed House 935, 4/15. Signed by governor. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. #6. EMPLOYEE RIGHTS: SF 313; Makes several changes to Iowa Code Chapter 20, the right of public employees to collectively bargain for wages, benefits, and other employment issues. Passed Senate 2622,3126. No House vote. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. #7. EXCESSIVE FINES: SF 399; Establishes a criminalistics laboratory surcharge and fund, and allows the criminal surcharge (currently set at 3 of the fine) to be increased to 32%, with the added 2% set aside for criminalistic equipment, supplies, training, etc. Passed Senate 40 9, 417. No House vote. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. #8. CHURCH/STATE SEPARATION: SF 440; Provides for an annual increase in specified state aid to nonpublic schools under prescribed circumstances. Passed Senate 3614, 4/14. No House vote. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. #9. OPEN MEETINGS: HF 574; Applies Iowa's open meetings law to newly elected members of a governmental body not yet sworn in. Passed House 7126,3/9. No Senate vote. ICLU SUPPORTED. A vote FOR is a. # 1 o. EXCESSIVE FINES: HF 650; Allows municipal and county jails to charge defendants for fingerprinting, booking, supervision, etc. Passed House 950, 3/26. Passed Senate 500, 4/23. Signed by governor. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a. # 11. UNREASONABLE SEARCHES: HF 400; Requires probationer and parolee information under the control of the Parole Board to be provided to local law enforcement agencies and the Department of Transportation. Passed House 8018,3125. No Senate vote. ICLU OPPOSED. A vote AGAINST is a.

2 The votes selected for this record are only a few of hundreds of legislative votes this session. The votes included here were selected because they are representative of distinct civil liberties issues addressed this session. They do not represent every issue or bill with civil liberties implications. Numerous civil liberties issues are resolved in the legislative committee process; many amendments do not have record roll call votes. Votes on bills or amendments impacting civil liberties may not have been included if the civil liberties issue was not the paramount subject of the bill or amendment. In cases where more than one vote occurs on a particular bill we have chosen the vote that we feel presents the civil liberties issue most clearly. If you have concerns or questions about a legislator's vote on an issue, contact that legislator for an explanation. He or she should be willing to discuss it with you. KEY TO VOTE TABLES Indicates a vote in favor of ICLUI ACLU position. Indicates a vote contrary to ICLU/ACLU position. Indicates lawmaker did not vote, voted "present," or was absent. # Indicates lawmaker was not a legislator when vote was taken The percentages are based upon the number of times the legislator voted in favor of the ICLUI ACLU position. IOWA SENATE 1.2 a Z.8 1Jl % ANGELO (R) Union KRAMER (It) Polk BEALL (D) Webster 38% KREIMAN (D) Davis BEHN (It) Boone LAMBEItTI (II.) Polk BLACK (D) Jasper 38% LARSON (8) Linn BOETIGER (II.) Shelby LUNDBY(R)Linn BOLKCOM (D) Johnson 63% McCOY (D) Polk BRUNKHORST (R) Bremer McKIBBEN (II.) MarshaJI CONNOLLY (D) Dnbuque McKINLEY (II.) Lucas COURTNEY (D) Des Moines 38% MILLER (It) Jefferson DEARDEN (D) Polk 38% PUTNEY (") Tama DOTZLER (D) Black Hawk 5 QUIRMBACH (D) Story DRAKE (R) Muscatine RAGAN (D) Cerro Gordo DVORSKY (D) Johnson 5 REDFERN (R) BbckHawk FRAISE (D) Lee REHBERG (R) Buchanan GASKILL (II.) Hancock SCHUERER (II.) Iowa GRONSTAL (D) Pottawattamie 63% SENG (D) Scott 1.2 a Z.8 1Jl % 63% 38% HATCH (D) Polk SEYMOUR (R) Harrison HOL VECK (D) Polk 38% SHULL (R) Warren HORN (D) Linn SIEVERS (II., Scott HOSCH (R) Jones STEW ART (D) Jackson HOUSER (R) Pottawattamie TINSMAN (It) Scott IVERSON (It) Wright VEENSTRA (11.) Sioux JOHNSON (R) Osalob WARNSTADT (D) Woodbury \ KETTERING (II.) Sac WIECK (R) Woodbury KIBBlE (D) Palo Alto ZIEMAN (Ii) A1Jamakee

3 IOWA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1 2.3! ~ a 1.Jl 1.1 Y2 ALONS (R) Sioux ARNOLD (R) Lucas BAUDLER (R) Adair BELL (D) Jasper BERRY (D) Black Hawk BOAL (R) Polk BODDICKER (R) Cedar BOGGESS (R) Page BUKTA (D) Clinton CARROLL (R) Poweshiek CHAMBERS (R) O'Brien COHOON (D) Des Moines CONNORS (D) Polk DANDEKAR (D) Linn DAVITT (D) Warren DE BOEF (R) Mahaska DENNIS (R) Black Hawk DIX (R) Butler DOLECHECK (R) Ringgold DRAKE (R) Pottawattamie EICHHORN (R) Hamilton ELGIN (R) Linn FALLON (D) Polk FOEGE (D) Linn FORD (D) Polk ! ~ a 1.Jl 1.1 % KUHN (D) Floyd KURTENBACH (R) Story LALK (R) Fayette LENSING (D) Johnson LUKAN (R) Dubuque LYKAM (D) Scott MADDOX (R) Polk MANTERNACH (R) Jones MASCHER (D) Johnson McCARTHY (D) Polk MERTZ (D) Kossuth MILLER (D) Webster MURPHY (D) Dubuque MYERS (D) Johnson OLDSON (D) Polk OLSON, D. (D) Boone OLSON, S. (R) Clinton OSTERHAUS (D) Jackson PAULSEN (R) Linn PETERSEN (D) Polk QUIRK (D) Chickasaw RAECKER (R) Polk RANTS (R) Woodbury RASMUSSEN (R) Buchanan RA YHONS (R) Hancock 5 38% 1 2.3! ~ a 1.Jl 1.1 % FREEMAN (R) Buena Vista FREVERT (D) Palo Alto GASKILL (D) Wapello GIPP (R) Winneshiek GRANWW (R) Hardin GREIMANN (D) Story GREINER (R) Washington HAHN (R) Muscatine HANSEN (R) Pottawattamie HANSON (R) Benton HEATON (R) Henry HEDDENS (D) Story HOFFMAN (R) Crawford HOGG (D) Linn HORBACH (R) Tama HUNTER (D) Polk HUSEMAN (R) Cherokee HUSER (D) Polk HUTTER (R) Scott JACOBS (R) Polk JENKINS (R) Black Hawk JOCHUM (D) Dubuque JONES (R) Mills KLEMME (R) Plymouth KRAMER (R) Polk,, 38% 38% 38% 38% 1 2.3! ~ a 1.Jl 1.1 % REASONER (D) Union ROBERTS (R) Carroll SANDS (R) Lonisa SCHICKEL (R) Cerro Gordo SMITH (D) Marshall STEVENS (D) Dickinson STRUYK (D) Pottawattamie SWAIM <1» Davis TAYLOR, Dick (D) Linn TAYLOR, Todd (D) Linn THOMAS (D) Clayton SHOULTZ (D) Black Hawk 63% TJEPKES (R) Webster TYMESON (R) Madison UPMEYER (R) Hancock VAN ENGELENHOVEN VAN FOSSEN, J.K. (R) Scott V AN FOSSEN, J.R. (R) Scott WATTS (R) Dallas WENDT (D) Woodbury WHITAKER (D) Van Buren WHITEAD (D) Woodbury WILDERDYKE (R) Harrison WINCKLER (D) Scott WISE (D) Lee

4 Congressional Voting Records Selected Votes from the 2nd Session (2002), 107th Congressl VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. Abortion Access at Overseas Military Hospitals (Senate Roll Call No. 160). Privacy, Reproductive Health.. By a vote of 5240, the Senate passed an amendment introduced by Senators Patty Murray (DWA) and Olympia Snowe (RME) to the National Defense Authorization Act that would lift the ban that prohibits women from obtaining abortion services at U.S. military hospitals, even if they pay for these services with their own private funds. The amendment would permit privately funded abortions to take place at military hospitals. The ACLU supported the Murray/Snowe amendment. 2. Campaign Finance Reform (H.R. 2356). Free Speech. By a vote of , the House adopted a campaign finance measure introduced by Rep. Chris Shays (RCT). The ACLU opposed the measure because it would establish limits that effectively bar any individual or group from explicitly criticizing a public official standing for reelection within 60 days of the election. 3. Food Stamps for Immigrants (H.R. 2646). Immigrants Rights. Introduced by Rep. Joe Baca (D CA), this motion amends the 2002 Agricultural Bill to make food stamps available for immigrant children and persons with disabilities, refugees and legal permanent residents who have lived in the United States for five years or have met certain work requirements. The prohibition on food stamps for immigrants is unfair, unamerican and based only on coarse discrimination against noncitizens. Additionally, it impacts U.S. citizens as well: noncitizen parents are often wary or fearful of applying for food stamp benefits for their children who, as they were born in the United States, are citizens. Such understandable fear and confusion threatens the wellbeing and survival of these children. The ACLU supported the measure, which passed by a vote of Welfare Reauthorization (H.R. 4737). Welfare and Civil Liberties. The ACLU criticized this legislation, introduced by Rep. Deborah Pryce (R OH), because it would lead to significant violations of the core civil liberties of welfare recipients and would do little to address poverty reduction. The ACLU opposed the bill, which passed by a vote of Ban on Abortion Procedures (H.R. 4965). Reproductive Freedom. Introduced by Rep. Steve Chabot, ROH, this proposed legislation would ban safe and common methods of abortion that are used before fetal viability. Specifically, the legislation would outlaw what antichoice legislators call "partialbirth abortion," a meaningless term that the Supreme Court found so vague in its definition as to be unconstitutional in Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914 (2000). The legislation also fails to include an exception to protect women's health a requirement that is constitutionally compelled, as the Supreme Court made clear in its recent ruling. By a vote of 274 yeas to 151 nays, the House approved the legislation. The ACLU opposed the bill. 6. Open Government and Whistleblower Protection (Amendment 597 to H.R. 5005, the "Homeland Security Act"). By a vote of 188 to 240, the House rejected this amendment introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (DIL), that would have eliminated a new exemption from the Freedom of Information Act and state and local open records laws for corporate information shared with the new Homeland Security Department. The amendment also would have expanded the protections for government employees often referred to as "whistleblowers" who expose government wrongdoing by giving them the right to go to court instead of going through an internal review process. The ACLU supported the amendment. 7. Teen Endangerment Act (H.R. 476). Introduced by Rep. lieana RosLehtinen, RFL, this legislation would make criminals out of anyone other than a parent including a grandmother, aunt or older sister who helps a teenager travel to another state for an abortion. The bill, nicknamed the Teen Endangerment Act, would make it a federal crime for a person to help a young woman travel across state lines to obtain an abortion unless she has already fulfilled the requirements of her home state's parental consent or notification laws. The ACLU opposed the bill, which was passed by a vote of ~ 5. Q 1 Boswell (D) Ganske (R) Latham(R) Leach (R) Nussle (R) Grassley (R) Harkin (D) Adapted from the ACLU's web site at: For more information, or information on current issues, go to:

5 that requires approval of a majority of voters to raise taxes that equal 1 % or more of total state revenues. ICLU OPPOSED this resolution. It passed the Senate 2623 on March 30; it passed the House 5148 on April 16. It must pass the next General Assembly in its exact wording and be ratified by the voters before taking affect. ENHANCED PENALTIES: Senate File 2148 by Committee on Judiciary. This bill allowed the court to suspend a person's drivers' license if the person drives away from a gas pump without paying for gas. ICLU adamantly OPPOSED this legislation. It passed the Senate 460 on March 8; passed the House 7619 on March 19. The governor's office, after consulting with the ICLU, the County Attorneys, and the DOT, vetoed this bill on April 2. DUE PROCESS: Senate File 2154 by Committee on Judiciary. This bill permits a citation to be issued to the "owner" of vehicle in which the driver has failed to obey a school bus warning device. ICLU OPPOSED this bill. SF 2154 passed the Senate 490 on March 16; passed the House 923 on March 29; and was signed by governor on April 8. CHURCH/STATE SEPARATION: Senate File 2295 by Committee on Ways and Means. SF 2295 allows for a private (but not public) school tuition organization tax credit. ICLU OPPOSED this legislation. It passed the Senate 3315 on April 1; was amended by the House and passed 6335; the Senate concurred in the House amendment and passed the bill 3710 on April 14. The governor vetoed this bill on May 14. "