‘Logan’s Law’ leaps another hurdle

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

It’s a routine procedural move in the Iowa House of Representatives, but it’s a big step toward making “Logan’s Law” a reality.

This week, Rep. Robert Bacon, R-Story County, who is the chairman of the Iowa House Natural Resources Committee, scheduled a subcommittee meeting for 11 a.m. next Monday, March 25, in the House Lounge.

The meeting is in regard to “a bill for an act requiring the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to include anatomical donor symbols on certain licenses.”

That’d be Logan’s Law.

Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City, originally filed the bill in the Iowa House, while Iowa Sen. Waylon Brown, R-St. Ansgar, introduced the legislation in the Senate.

The Iowa Senate voted 47-0 in February in favor of  the bill, which would let Iowans put a symbol on their hunting and fishing licenses indicating they wish to be an organ donor.

It’s named for Logan Luft, a 15-year-old from Charles City who died from injuries suffered in an ATV accident in July of 2017. Logan was an avid outdoorsman, and had expressed interest in organ donation while he was alive.

Logan’s parents, Lenny and Wendy Luft, were on the floor with Brown as the Senate voted. The Luft children, extended family and friends including a couple of Logan’s school buddies, were watching from the gallery. Lenny Luft is a Charles City police officer and Wendy Luft is a real estate agent.

The Lufts have been actively lobbying for the bill’s passage since its introduction, and will get the opportunity to share Logan’s story with the members of the subcommittee next Monday. If the bill passes out of the subcommittee, it will move to the House floor. If it passes the Iowa House, as it did in the Iowa Senate, it will go to the desk of Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature.

Wendy Luft has said that she thinks the governor will support the bill — because the governor told her so when the two spoke in February.

“She was great. She had a busy day but still spent a lot of time with us,” Luft said. “She visited with all of my family and was very gracious to everyone. She told me she supports the bill and can’t wait to sign it.”

Luft said she is also hopeful the bill will have support from Iowa Speaker of the House Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, who came up to the Lufts in February and introduced herself.

“She was amazing,” Luft said. “She offered her condolences, and is familiar with our story.”

Prichard said that there were some hurdles for the bill in the House, as Bacon had some changes he wanted to propose as the committee chair. Bacon is a retired funeral director and a consultant to funeral directors throughout Iowa.

“The good news is, the Lufts spoke with the committee chair, and he’s supportive of the idea, and that’s good, he just wants to make some changes,” Prichard said in February. “He has a few concerns as a funeral director. We’re anxious to see what changes he has. We will work with that.”

The three-person subcommittee, assigned earlier this month by Bacon, is chaired by Rep. Tom Jeneary who is described in his House bio as “a retired dentist and funeral director.” The first-term Republican resides in LeMars and represents Iowa House District 5.

Other members of the subcommittee are Rep. Scott Ourth and Rep. Jon Thorup.

Thorup, a Republican who is also serving his first term, is from Knoxville and represents Iowa House District 28. Ourth is a Democrat from Ackworth, in Warren County near Indianola, who has served Iowa House District 26 since 2013.

When the bill was debated the Senate, Brown spoke on the Senate floor before the vote, and said that Logan had ultimately given the gift of life to others. He then shared Logan’s story, and talked about the lives that were saved with Logan’s organs.

“A 16-year-old girl received a liver. A 53-year-old woman received a pancreas,” Brown told the Senate. “A 5-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man each received a kidney. And Logan’s heart? Logan’s heart beats in a 9-year-old girl in Kentucky.”