Education, hemp, cannabis and hands-free driving expected to be addressed in 2020 session

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Iowa Sen. Waylon Brown, a Republican from St. Ansgar who represents the 26th Iowa Senate District, and Iowa Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City, the house minority leader who represents Iowa House District 52, talked with the Press in an article published Thursday regarding some of the issues they believe might be addressed in the upcoming 2020 Iowa legislative session, which begins Jan. 13.

A few other issues both Prichard and Brown believe will be on the table this session include education funding, industrialized hemp, medical and recreational cannabis and “hands-free” driving.

Industrialized hemp

The legislature passed a bill allowing farmers to grow industrialized hemp last year, but Brown called it a “small step.”

“I don’t think it’s a crop that’s going to save family farms, but I think it may be another crop that can be grown to supplement a farming operation,” Brown said. “It will be interesting to see, once that program is put into place, what works and what doesn’t and what changes need to be made.”

Prichard said he thinks Iowa is behind where it should be in terms of industrial hemp production.

“This is something that Iowa could be a leader in,” he said. “We’re good at growing things, and this fits right in with us as an ag state. It’s something I’ve been supportive of over the years.”

Medical cannabis

Prichard said that medical cannabis is also something he has been supportive of.

“This medicine has been beneficial for a lot of people,” he said. “I think there are opportunities with both medicine and industrial hemp to benefit Iowans — to benefit the economy and to benefit people who need certain medications.”

Brown also favors some easing of medical cannabis restrictions, but does not believe Iowa should go the route that neighboring Illinois recently took — legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

“I see the benefits for medicinal use, and I think we need to make sure we have that right for the state,” Brown said. “As far as recreational use, I’m not there.”

Education funding

Education funding is always the biggest slice of Iowa’s budget, and Prichard said he was hopeful there will be new money this year, but in years past it has not kept up with inflation.

“We have an opportunity to bump public school funding up, but there hasn’t been a lot of talk as to where that number is going to fall,” Prichard said. “I would advocate for something that’s at least 3% just to stay ahead of inflation.”

Prichard said he was open to listening anything else that could better Iowa’s educational system.

“Anything we can do to improve education in Iowa, we need to make sure we are educating tomorrow’s workforce,” Prichard said.

LP gas supply

In late 2019, as Iowa farmers were rushing to harvest their their corn and soybeans, the demand for propane skyrocketed and there were shortages. Gov. Reynolds signed an emergency proclamation to help alleviate propane delivery problems, suspended provisions of Iowa law restricting the hours of service for crews and commercial drivers delivering propane.

She later signed an executive order allowing vehicles transporting propane to be oversize and overweight. Brown said he wants to minimize the chances of it happening again.

“Those supplies were extremely tight, not just for the agricultural industry but for the transporters and retailers — it had an economic impact for them,” Brown said. “We need to make sure that when we need that LP, it’s here.”

Hands-free driving

Eighteen states have laws which bar drivers from handling a smart phone while they’re driving. Gov. Reynolds recently state that “seems like the next natural step” for Iowa to take. Brown said the issue was a top priority for him, and he believes the legislature will take a serious look at it this session.