LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT SF126

SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING FOR HF377

Below you will see the information to watch the subcommittee hearing on HF377. This is  Monday morning at 11 AM CST. Please let your people know this and tell them they can go to:

From: comforms@LEGIS.IOWA.GOV

Subject: SCHEDULED: HF 377 (House) Meeting 02/15/2021 11:00 AM

Date: February 12, 2021 at 10:57:00 AM CST

To: COM_H_JUD_EX@LISTSERV.LEGIS.IOWA.GOV

Reply-To: comforms@LEGIS.IOWA.GOV

Notice of Subcommittee Meeting

Committee: Judiciary (House)

Subcommittee: HF 377

Bill Title: A bill for an act related to a commutation of sentence request from a class “A” felon sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, establishing a life imprisonment review committee to make recommendations in the case of a minimum custody level applicant who has served at least twenty-five years in prison, with reconsideration of a sentence upon the governor’s request or inaction, and providing expedited review in the case of an applicant’s terminal illness and incapacitation.

Members: Hite-CH, Kaufmann, Bohannan

Date: 02/15/2021 11:00 AM

Location: House Lounge 1

Agenda: Discussion on HF 377.

Submit Comments

Virtual Meeting URL: https://ialegis.webex.com/ialegis/j.php...

Call in number: 14084189388

Access code: 1879733700 

This bill reduces the use of mandatory minimum sentences.  

This bill eliminates the use of life without parole sentences for people who were accomplices to a murder, rather than actually committing it.  Right now, there are people serving life sentences for merely waiting in the car while someone else went in and shot someone.   This bill still keeps a stiff 25 year mandatory minimum for these folks, since at least some of them share some culpability. However, it would give them the opportunity to eventually seek parole.  

 This bill does not allow the use of non-payment of fines and court costs as a reason to hold people without bail.  This is a part of our unequal system of justice that punishes people for being poor.   

This bill has numerous provisions that invite police abuse of people who are peacefully protesting and stiffens the penalties for assaulting a police officer, which can give the police license to penalize anyone who gives them backtalk.   We are VERY disappointed in this proposal from the governor, since she has been somewhat progressive on other criminal justice issues.  

This bill reintroduces the death penalty for   first degree offenses involving kidnapping and sexual abuse offenses against the same victim who is a minor.