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The Des Moines Register, Wednesday, April 1, 1998, Page 4M
House backs meth crackdown
Tougher penalties, new law-enforcement tools
win approval
By JONATHAN ROOS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Iowa lawmakers, alarmed by a methamphetamine crime
wave, voted Tuesday to mete out harsher penalties for drug dealers and users.
The House gave lopsided approval to proposals that include stiffer
penalties for repeat offenders of drug possession laws; enforcement of mandatory minimum
sentences for meth dealers; and new law enforcement tools to nab drug-using motorists.
Members of the House Republican majority, who assembled the package of
proposals, said it would provide the state with more powerful weapons in its war on drugs.
"Our judicial system ... is something of a turnstile. The
drug dealers come in one courthouse door and they come out the other in a short
time," said Rep. Chuck Larson, R-Cedar Rapids. "This legislation is going
to put meth dealers in prison."
Rep. Jeffrey Lamberti, R-Ankeny, said the measures send a strong
message to people manufacturing or peddling meth that Iowa is not a good place to do
business.
Most House Democrats voted for the legislation, even though some said
the Republicans were offering a simplistic solution to a complex problem that requires
more drug-abuse prevention and treatment efforts.
"What I see is a continuation of the philosophy that if we push
the penalties high enough, we'll scare (drug dealers) off. Folks, we haven't scared
them off," said House Minority Leader David Schrader, D-Monroe.
Rep. Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines, one of three lawmakers who opposed the
bill, said its new law enforcement provisions could be used by police to harass members of
minority groups.
Under one proposal, similar to legislation approved by the Senate
earlier in the session, Iowa's drunken-driving laws would be extended to users of meth or
other illicit drugs. The measure would make it easier for prosecutors to charge
drug-impaired drivers.
Other provisions of the anti-drug package adopted by the House include:
- Increasing penalties for illegal drug possession. A third offense
would be a felony.
- Eliminating a judge's discretion to suspend a mandatory minimum sentence
for meth dealers.
- Denying appeal bonds for convicted dealers, so they would have to remain
behind bars while appealing their sentences.
- Allowing judges to deny state and federal benefits, such as college
student aid, to convicted users and dealers until they complete a rehabilitiation program.
The anti-meth provisions were attached to a bill
dealing with Iowa's drunken-driving laws. The revised legislation returns to the
Senate for more debate.
House Republicans and Democrats in recent days have offered rival plans
to combat methamphetamine trafficking in Iowa. Parts of the Democrats' $4 million
plan were rejected during debate Tuesday of other bills.
The GOP-controlled House, during a nighttime debate of a justice system
budget bill, defeated a $1.5 million proposal for drug buys and creation a 15-member
"meth strike force."
The House Appropriations Committee defeated a Democrat-backed proposal
that would have spent $2.5 million on meth treatment, education and local law-enforcement
efforts. Republicans want to spend a smaller amount of money on a proposed informant
reward program, police undercover purchases of the drug and educational programs.
Jonathan Roos can be reached at
(515) 284-8443 or
roosj@news.dmreg.com
The Des Moines Register
Wednesday, April 1, 1998, Page 4M
letters@news.dmreg.com
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