Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the right of the people to a clean environment

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa providing that every person has a right to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, a stable climate, ecologically healthy habitats, and the preservation of the natural and human health qualities of the environment. The state shall not infringe upon these rights. 3 state’s public natural resources are the common property of the people, including both present and future generations, and that the state, as trustee, shall conserve, maintain, and restore these resources for the health and benefit of all the people. The proposed amendment and the rights stated therein are self-executing and shall be in addition to any rights conferred by the public trust doctrine or common law. The proposed amendment states that any and all infringements upon these rights shall be subject to strict scrutiny. The resolution, if adopted, would be published and then referred to the next general assembly (92nd) for adoption a second time, before being submitted to the electorate for ratification.