Iowa Legislative Digest
SCHOOL HEALTH STANDARDS — K-12 students would be required to have at least two hours of physical activity per week under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate.
“The growing number of overweight children in Iowa is alarming,” said state Sen. Staci Appel, D-Ackworth, the lead sponsor.
The bill, passed 30-17, also requires students to be trained in CPR and requires schools to set new nutrition standards. The Iowa Department of Education would be responsible for implementation, which would happen over the next year.
Gov. Chet Culver proposed parts of the bill in the Condition of the State speech in January.
The measure, known as the Healthy Kids Act, now heads to the House.
The physical activity requirement says students in grades K-5 must have 30 minutes of activity per day, while grades 6-12 must have two hours per week. Students in extracurricular activities would be able to waive the rules.
However, the requirement for grades 6-12 would be delayed until a special panel conducts further study. The panel would be appointed this year and report back to the Legislature next year.
TOBACCO STUDY — The Iowa Tobacco Prevention Alliance released a study Tuesday that shows air in 21 bars, casinos and restaurants is unhealthy.
Smoking ban advocates point to the report as another reason the state should pass a comprehensive smoke-free law which doesn’t exempt any type of facility.
The study found particulate pollution – fine particles released from cigarettes that can cause adverse health effects – in smoking facilities was 17 times higher than non-smoking facilities. The level the Alliance measured also exceeded the safe exposure level, set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, by 15 times.
“It’s clear to us from this study that ... workers are exposed to unsafe levels,” said Gary Streit, vice chair of the Commission on Tobacco Use Prevention and Control.
Joel Smits, a 28-year-old waiter from West Des Moines who attended the alliance’s Capitol news conference, said working in a smoking environment irritates his asthma.
Smits said a weakened ban, with exemptions for casinos or bars, would be unacceptable.
GRANDPARENTS’ RIGHTS — One of the top backers of expanded rights for grandparents said Tuesday that last year’s action on the issue didn’t go far enough.
“We need some help,” said Sen. Dave Mulder, R-Sioux Center.
He helped pass a bill last year that allows grandparents to petition in court for visitation with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Gov. Chet Culver signed the bill into law as part of the health and human services budget plan.
State Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City, who chairs the committee that deals with human services issues, was a co-sponsor of last year’s bill. She said she hopes to find a way to improve the situation.
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS — School board members would serve four-year terms instead of the current three years under bill passed Tuesday by the Senate.
The bill, passed 43-4, was drafted by Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro’s office. The school board provision is a small part of a larger set of election policy changes. The bill now heads to the House.
Mauro’s office has said four-year terms would save money, because there would be fewer elections, and it would put Iowa in step with the 41 states that have four-year terms.