Bills › 89th General Assembly
HSB 9
Topics:Public safety & emergencies
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 11, 2021
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 12, 2021
- Done: House committeeJanuary 21, 2021
- Skipped: Passes the HouseContinued as HJR 4
- Next: Senate committee
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Became HJR 4 → Its progress continues under the new number. Go to HJR 4 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary This resolution would change the Iowa Constitution to state that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right that cannot be taken away. If passed, any laws that try to limit this right would have to face much tougher legal standards in court. Voters would decide whether to officially add this change to the state constitution during the November 2022 election.1
Read the official explanation
This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa, for adoption by the second consecutive general assembly, providing that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny. The joint resolution, if adopted, would be submitted to the electorate for ratification at the general election in November 2022.
Changed since by amendment H-1015; see Amendments.
House subcommittee
Named January 12, 2021. On January 19, 2021 it recommended passage. H.J. 179.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution regarding the right to keep and bear arms. If passed a second time, it is estimated to cost $178,200 in fiscal year 2023 for publishing the amendment in newspapers across all 99 counties. These costs would be paid by the Secretary of the Senate’s Office and the Chief Clerk’s Office in the House of Representatives and then reimbursed by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.3
Read the fiscal note
Description
Senate Joint Resolution 7 proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution related to the right of the people to keep and bear arms, explicitly stating that this right shall not be infringed. The amendment states that the sovereign State of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right, on which any and all restrictions shall be subject to strict scrutiny.
Background
Iowa Code section 49A.1 and the Iowa Constitution require that when a proposed amendment to the Constitution has passed the General Assembly and has been referred to the next succeeding General Assembly, the State Commissioner of Elections (Secretary of State) is required to publish the proposed amendment in two newspapers of general circulation in each Iowa congressional district once each month for three consecutive months prior to the start of the next General Assembly. Upon passage of the same amendment by the second General Assembly, the amendment is to be published in newspapers in all 99 counties once each month for three consecutive months immediately preceding the general election. The 88th General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 18, the initial version of the proposed amendment, on March 13, 2019, and subsequently referred the amendment for the consideration of the 89th General Assembly. The initial amendment was published in eight newspapers (two in each congressional district) for a three-month period in fall 2020 (FY 2021).
Assumptions
- The average cost to publish an amendment in a single newspaper is $600.
- Publication of the amendment will occur in 99 newspapers (one in each county) for a three-month period.
Fiscal Impact
Constitutional Amendment Publication Cost. The estimated cost to publish a proposed Constitutional amendment passed by the General Assembly during the 2019 Legislative Session was $14,400 (8 newspapers x 3 months x $600). These costs were incurred in fall 2020 (FY 2021).
Assuming the proposed amendment is passed a second time during the 89th General Assembly, the estimated cost would be $178,200 (99 newspapers x 3 months x $600). The costs would be incurred in fall 2022 (FY 2023).
These publication costs would be incurred by the Secretary of the Senate’s Office and the Chief Clerk’s Office in the House of Representatives and reimbursed by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.
Sources
- Legislative Services Agency
- Office of the Secretary of State
The estimate held steady
4- Final Fiscal Note — Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Constitutional Amendment · June 8, 2021 · $14,400
- Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Constitutional Amendment · January 27, 2021 · $14,400
- Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Constitutional Amendment · January 25, 2021 · $14,400
Lobbying
8 for · 16 against · 5 undecided · Who →
Family tree
Study bill
Tried before
This idea has been filed in an earlier General Assembly. None got through a chamber.
- HJR 13 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the right of t…88th General Assembly · Withdrawn · similarDidn’t advance
Matched by wording or an identical title.