The “Back the Blue” bill moving through the Iowa Legislature was a focus of the final legislative briefing with area lawmakers hosted virtually by the Washington Chamber of Commerce Saturday.
The legislation contains a series of proposals Republicans say show support for law enforcement during civil unrest including making it illegal for someone to shine lasers in the eyes of officers. The bill also calls for limited immunity for motorists in the event they run into a protestor during a public disturbance, which Zoom participant Bethany Glinsman told State Representative Jarad Klein (R) of Keota, a sponsor of the bill, she was disappointed in. Klein says the legislation doesn’t let everyone off the hook, “This does not prevent lawsuits for someone who willfully or recklessly drives into a crowd, the bill’s very clear on that. If there’s somebody that plows into a crowd on purpose or with intent to cause harm, this does not protect them. Who this does protect is that