PRIVATE PROPERTY BILLS: FIRST FUNNEL WEEK WRAP UP

By: The Iowa Liberty Network

The first self-imposed funnel deadline came on Friday March 3, 2023. This funnel limits what bills will continue to be considered the rest of session, excluding bills coming from Ways and Means or Appropriations committees, Government Oversight bills, or bills sponsored by Majority Leaders.

On average 1000 bills are filed every session. The bills are assigned to committees by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. The committee chairs, which are chosen by the Speaker of the House and Majority Leader in the Senate, then are responsible for assigning a subcommittee. The three or five person subcommittee is then tasked with scheduling a hearing for the bill. The chair of the committee or leadership in the chamber can however prioritize whether a bill even receives a hearing.

Bills that survived the first funnel that uphold private property rights:

(HF368)- A bill that puts some limitations on the use of eminent domain for hazardous liquid carbon pipelines. The bill creates a threshold that 90% of parcels must be signed on for voluntary easements before the IUB can issue a permit to the pipelines company, requires Federal safety standards for hazardous liquid carbon dioxide pipelines to be established before the IUB can issue a permit, and expands on the possible damages a landowner may receive due to the construction or operation of the pipeline. Landowners have requested that the threshold be changed to 90% of miles be obtained, rather than parcels, prior to eminent domain being available.  

(HF643)- A bill that requires land surveyors to receive permission from the current property owner prior to entry, unless in emergency situations.

Bills that DIED during the first funnel that would have upheld private property rights:

More than a dozen bills (SF100-104, HF307-311, HF342, HF346, HF576) in both the House and Senate failed to be given subcommittee hearings relating to the use of eminent domain for the purposes of carbon dioxide pipelines. The senate bills were never assigned a subcommittee by Senator Waylon Brown, chair of the Commerce Committee. The remaining bills in the house were never given a subcommittee hearing by Rep. Steven Holt. However, his bill HF368, was given a hearing and passed committee as mentioned above.

*These are some of the bills we were watching throughout the process but there certainly could have been others that fall into this category.