Friday, April 27, 2007
Governor Culver Signs Greenhouse Gas Emissions Bill
Signs 14 Other Bills As Session Nears a Close
(Des Moines) – Governor Chet Culver today signed SF 485, a bill related to greenhouse gas emissions. The bill creates the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council to consider and determine the best strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state. This bill will also enable the state to collect data on greenhouse gas emissions through licensing of electric power generating facilities and reporting by other producers of greenhouse gases.
“Global Warming is a real danger that threatens our very way of life, and it is our responsibility to take any and all steps that we can to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and hope to curb global warming. With this bill, we are doing just that,” said Governor Culver. “I am happy to sign HF 485 because it will allow us not only to gain a better understanding of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the state, but also create strategies to reduce these emissions.”
A part of the Governor’s strategy on protecting our environment, SF 485 will develop a blueprint for lawmakers to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, the Governor has signed a series of bills over the last two days as session has come to an end. In ceremonies this afternoon, the Governor signed the following bills:
House File 829: appropriates $3 million a year from the Values Fund to the Department of Economic Development for targeted industries services in fiscal years 2008 through 2015.
Senate File 155: creates a Local Government Innovation Commission Fund and the Tim Shields Center for Governing Excellence.
Senate File 347: grants new powers to Credit Unions to sell and cash new classes of monetary products as well as charge application fees for loans that are less than one year in length.
Senate File 414: establishes allowances for Veterans Organizations to conduct card game tournaments. These games would be licensed, can award prizes, and are subject to local sales tax.
Senate File 489: establishes an Alzheimer’s disease task force.
Yesterday, Governor Culver signed the following legislation:
House File 309: directs the Department of Human Services to establish a work group to develop a uniform cost report for services reimbursed under Medicaid and county mental health, mental retardation and developmental services.
House File 744: broadens a debtor’s exempt personal injury payments in state court debt collection and federal bankruptcy actions.
House File 849: allows the Department of Administrative Services to contract for services with not-for-profit organizations and removes the Department of Administrative Services Director as the automatic Director of the Technology Governance Board, allowing the Board to elect its own chairperson.
House File 851: raises the dollar limit for ICN purchases large enough to require prior legislative approval and adds the possibility for emergency approval by the executive council in those cases where the purchase is needed as the result of a natural disaster or a threat to homeland security
Senate File 175: relates to the disposition of seized property in a criminal proceeding.
Senate File 339: increases the limits for a county to issue a general obligation bond for essential county purposes before the bond must be put to an election.
Senate File 384: deals with the statute of limitations provisions relating to minors and persons with mental illness and tort claims against a municipality.
Senate File 406: clarifies the right to kill a tagged dog.
Senate File 416: makes changes to the procedures and timelines used by cities to fill a vacancy by special election and runoff elections while making changes regarding availability of a petitioned satellite absentee voting station for city runoff elections.