Friday, April 20, 2007
Governor Culver Signs 16 Bills Today
(DES MOINES) Governor Chet Culver signed the following 16 bills into law today:
Senate File 311: is a corrective bill to clarify that when a mortgagee fails to file a satisfaction of judgment releasing the mortgage underlying an action for discharge of the mortgage, the aggrieved party is entitled to recover damages, a penalty, and attorney fees in an action for satisfaction of the mortgage.
Senate File 381: relates to appointments of court of appeals judges, district judges, associate juvenile judges, associate probate judges, magistrates, and patient advocates, and compensation to judges and other court personnel serving as fiduciaries.
Senate File 407: places the Veterans Homeownership Assistance Program in the Department of Veterans Affairs section of the Iowa Code. The program provides grants up to $5,000 to assist qualified veterans or current armed forces personnel in purchasing of a home in Iowa.
Senate File 502: is related to Savings and Loan Associations. It updates the Savings and Loan Statute (Chapter 534) to reflect last sessions’ reorganization to bring it under the Division of Banking and to correct other outdated elements in the Code.
Senate File 529: expands the definition of the criminal offense of possessing contraband in correctional institutions to include possessing such contraband in a secure facility for the detention or custody of juveniles, a detention facility, or a jail.
House File 590: relates to the application and enforcement of the state building code.
House File 787: appropriates federal funds made available from federal block grants ($154.5 million) and other federal grants (estimated at $4.3 billion), allocates portions of federal block grants, and provides procedures if federal block grant funds are more or less than anticipated or if other federal funds are more than anticipated.
House File 826: establishes the Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. It will lead Iowa’s participation in the upcoming national celebration.
House File 353: establishes a 15-member Statewide Interoperable Communications Board.
House File 432: deals with expanding the definition of abuse of a human corpse to include mutilation, disfiguring, dismembering, hiding, or burying a human corpse with the intent to conceal a crime and creates a Class D felony.
House File 451: relates to the Legislative interest in developing a single point of entry for long term living needs that accesses an integrated seamless system of services and support systems.
House File 528: clarifies the Code to be more in line with proper terminology, it aligns complaint investigations to federal standards, and it repeals a sunset clause on a successful program the Department has with hospitals to establish rules.
House File 559: relates to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact and provides an effective date.
House File 566: expands the liability protections granted to free clinics to field dental clinics.
House File 587: is an act relating to advisory boards created pursuant to emergency services agreements and providing an effective date.
House File 611: requires the Department of Education to develop and offer all school districts age-appropriate, research-based human growth and development curriculum.