A state representative is looking to keep two bills going through the legislative process now that the first hurdle has been cleared.

House District 47 Representative Carter Nordman says a bill that got out of a committee and was brought to his attention by the Guthrie County law enforcement and the County Attorney’s Office would remove the age limit of 14 to anyone under the age of 18 that someone could be charged with child endangerment. He points out that law enforcement is having a difficult time in certain situations not being able to charge an adult as he examines two scenarios. 

“So one set (of parents) has methamphetamines around a 14-year-old child. They get charged with child endangerment. The second set of parents have same amount of meth around their 15 year old child, they don’t get charged with child endangerment because the child is too old. So, in my opinion, it’s an arbitrary number, I don’t see a big difference in being able to hold those individuals accountable for child endangerment just because the child is 14 or 15.”

Representative Nordman details another bill that also survived the first funnel week was classifying animal torture as a felony. He emphasizes that Iowa is the only state in the country that doesn’t have that classification. Nordman talks about another aspect related to individuals who do these heinous acts to animals.

“There is a direct correlation, we’ve heard from law enforcement and our judicial system, between individuals who torture animals, later end up doing some very bad things to humans as well.” 

Nordman clarifies that the bill is not against livestock or for farming operations. The first funnel week is a deadline for lawmakers to get legislation passed by one committee in either the House or Senate to continue to be considered until the next deadline happens later on in the session.