Legislature gets to work on ‘Logan’s Law’

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

If Rep. Todd Prichard gets his wish, Logan’s Law will be official by the end of February.

“What would be nice is to have a vote in the House and Senate on Feb. 20,” said the Iowa legislator. “That’s the day of action on the Hill for the Iowa Donor Network, to raise awareness for organ donation, and the Lufts are going to be here that day.”

Prichard filed a bill in the Iowa House to make Logan’s Law this week, while Sen. Waylon Brown introduced the legislation in the Iowa Senate last week.

Prichard, a Charles City Democrat, represents Iowa House District 52, while Brown, a St. Ansgar Republican, represents the 26th Iowa Senate District. Prichard is hopeful that the bill is something elected officials on both sides of the aisle can easily agree on.

“With me pushing it in the House, and Senator Brown pushing it in the Senate, hopefully that goes a long way to making this a bipartisan bill,” he said.

The intent of the bill is to place organ donor information, which is currently on Iowa driver’s licenses, on hunting and fishing licenses as well. Prichard said before the current legislative session that the law was high on his priority list.

If it passes both houses and is signed, the law will be named after Logan Luft, a 15-year-old Charles City boy who died in an ATV accident in 2017. Luft’s organs were donated, and have helped save or improve the lives of many people, including a 15-year-old Minnesota girl living with a rare, multi-system disorder, who received Luft’s liver.

After Luft died, his parents — Wendy and Lenny Luft — said they prayed that his organs would be used to save multiple lives.

“I think it’s a great issue, and I think it’s a way to turn the tragedy of a loss into a very positive legacy for Logan,” Prichard said.

Prichard said the Lufts are really active with the Iowa Donor Network and are advocating for the bill’s passage.

“They are excited about it,” Prichard said. “In fact, the idea for the bill came from Lenny, who caught me at a track meet last spring and told me about it.”

Lenny Luft, a Charles City Police officer, served with Prichard in the National Guard before Prichard moved to Charles City.

“Officer Luft is a good friend of mine,” Prichard said. “We’ve known each other for almost 20 years.”

Prichard said the bill is going through the DNR committee, and he believes it will have both regional and bipartisan support. He said he’s talked to the DNR representatives who have told him that this is something that can easily be accomplished from an administrative standpoint. Cost to the Iowa taxpayer would be minimal, according to Prichard.

“We’re just extending what’s already done through the DOT with driver’s licenses. The cost of it is essentially zero,” Prichard said. “We’re just going to mimic that structure that’s already there with the DOT. We’re not going to change anything.”

Although it’s not the key part of the bill, Prichard said that the law would also help educate young people about the choice to become an organ donor.

“It would insert information about organ donation as part of the required hunter safety courses,” he said. “I like that part of the bill because it spreads awareness about organ donation.”

Although he’s set his sights on a Feb. 20 signing, Prichard admitted it might be a little too optimistic to think the notoriously slow-moving Iowa government will get it all wrapped up by that day.

“We’re hoping that whenever we do get a vote scheduled, that we will let people back home know, and give people from Charles City the opportunity to come down and show their support for Logan,” he said.