Latest news with #JoshTurek
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill allowing hard roofs on boat docks goes to governor
Boats are docked at an Okoboji marina on July 10, 2014. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa House sent a bill to the governor Thursday that would allow hard roofs over boat docks, slips and lifts in Iowa. House File 710 advanced from the Senate floor Wednesday, with an amendment that swapped the term 'enclosed structure' to 'roof' in the bill. The House approved the amendment from senators. Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, said the legislation would 'put Iowa's boat dock regulations in line with the other 49 states,' which he said do not prohibit hard roofs on docks. Current law only allows roofs or siding of 'soft-sided' materials over boat hoists. The issue has made regulation difficult on Carter Lake, which is in both Iowa and Nebraska. Turek said he does not own a dock or a boat on Carter Lake, despite an allegation made the day prior on the Senate floor by Sen. Dave Sires, R-Cedar Falls, that the legislation was sponsored by a 'House of Representative person who built an illegal dock on Carter Lake.' Sires opposed the bill, saying hard roofs would cause more damage to an area during flooding or high winds and allow gargantuan docks to be built. The bill would require that docks with roofs be less than 30 feet wide, and no taller than 20 feet above the surface of the water. Dock owners would also be required to maintain dock liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence to be in compliance with the bill. Rep. Austin Harris, R-Moulton, thanked the people of Carter Lake who he said were 'very, very persistent' on the bill. HF 710 advanced unanimously from the House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa bill requiring parental consent for minors using tanning beds passed by House
DES MOINES, Iowa — By a vote of 81 to 13, with six lawmakers not voting, Iowa House members voted through a bill requiring parental consent for minors using tanning beds in the state. The bipartisan vote stemmed from the legislative body's concern about increasing cancer rates in the state. 'Iowa, second highest rates of cancer, only state with a growing cancer rate, fifth highest rates of melanoma, 1,600 melanomas per year. We are one of only six states without any restrictions on this issue,' said State Representative Josh Turek (D) District 20, from Council Bluffs. The National Cancer Institute says over half of new cancer among adolescents and young adults is melanoma. The institute also stated that it's the third most common cancer type across 20 to 29-year-old,s as well as 30 to 39-year-olds. Cotton-top tamarin infant at Blank Park Zoo has died The Skin Cancer Foundation says that you have a 75% greater risk of getting melanoma if you use a tanning bed before the age of 35. The bill states that no one in the state under the age of 18 can use a tanning device unless the parent or guardian provides written consent to the tanning facility. There is a written statement that is included into the bill that must be used in the written consent. The bill sponsor told reporters on Monday that a lot of tanning salons already require parental consent for minors to use the equipment. He said that it's for other scenarios where tanning devices are made available. 'The parents will have to be able to walk in and see literature that tells them this is not safe for your kid. The reason you see this coming up, because most of the tanning salons right now, their facilities there are doing it, but it's the facilities that don't do it,' said State Representative Hans Wilz (R) District 25, from Ottumwa. 'People that charge for tanning, whether it's a subscription, whether it's to an apartment, a rental.' The bill now heads over to the Iowa Senate chamber for further consideration. Iowa News: Iowa bill requiring parental consent for minors using tanning beds passed by House Cotton-top tamarin infant at Blank Park Zoo has died 3 Iowa's Best Burger Contest finalists located in Central, South-Central Iowa Whiting murder suspect says she was assaulted; Officials say story doesn't add up WHO 13 Farm Report: Monday, March 17th Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill would ensure workers with disabilities are paid federal minimum wage
Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, left, spoke to fellow legislators about his proposed bill to require workers with disabilities are paid the federal minimum wage at a subcommittee meeting Feb. 26, 2025. Reps. Jeff Cooling and Barb Kniff McCulla were on the subcommittee. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Employers would be required to pay workers with disabilities the federal minimum wage in Iowa under a proposal discussed in a House subcommittee Wednesday. Currently, Americans with disabilities can be paid less than the federal minimum wage, $7.25 per hour, in certain circumstances under the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers can apply for a 14(c) certificate under this federal law to be authorized to pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities. The bill discussed Wednesday, House File 538, would remove this provision in Iowa, and would require the Iowa Department of Inspections, Licensing and Appeals (DIAL) to make an outreach effort to employers of disabled Iowans to ensure awareness and compliance by the proposed start date, July 1, 2026. Lela Lanier, a law student at Syracuse University, said that under current law, workers with disabilities earn an average of $4.08, with many making under $3.50 an hour. She said Iowa law and state Supreme Court precedent recognizes the right of citizens to earn a living wage and engage in legitimate employment, and that paying subminimum wages to workers with disabilities keeps these Iowans from accessing their rights. 'This practice keeps individuals trapped in poverty, unable to gain financial independence or fully participate in the economy,' Lanier said. 'And the cost of living for individuals disabilities is estimated to be 28% higher than for those without disabilities, making financial stability even more difficult to achieve. This inequity is not only harm(ing) individuals, but also weakens Iowa's overall economy by limiting the purchasing power and contributions of a significant portion of its workforce.' The bill also would make 'competitive and integrated employment' the first and preferred option of the state programs and agencies engaged in assisting people with disabilities with finding employment. That means state services would be required to highlight work opportunities for people with disabilities that offer minimum wage or above and are in shared spaces with nondisabled individuals. Other speakers, representing groups that work with Iowans with disabilities, spoke in support of the measure and said many employers are choosing to raise wages to meet these standards in the state already. Jodi Tukker, executive director at the Christian Opportunity Center, spoke in opposition to the measure, saying the center maintained a subminimum wage certificate until 2023 that she said allowed options for people with more severe disabilities who otherwise 'have never been able to find work' outside of programs. Of the 135 individuals who were employed through the center's sheltered workshop, she said 70 are now working competitively, while others are now in non-paid day activities, which she said 'is great, but they miss working.' 'They miss having the purpose that having a job brings,' Tukker said. 'And those who are working in competitive employment — they used to work maybe 25 hours a week. Now they're working maybe 10, some one or two hours per week, and the rest of their time, again, unstructured time. So it just widens the number of individuals that can be employed in some capacity, regardless of the amount that is on their paycheck. It is a paycheck, and they are able to say they go to work every day and they have a job.' Amy Campbell, representing several clients including Link Associates, Lutheran Services in Iowa and Systems Unlimited, said there are often other reasons why people with disabilities have to take on fewer hours in competitive employment settings — typically, due to Medicaid eligibility requirements surrounding asset and wage caps. Campbell said Iowa would join a growing number of states taking action on this issue and allowing more workers with disabilities to be integrated into the workforce. 'I think it's time we move on. Many states are doing this,' Campbell said. '… It's a national move to actually integrate people into employment settings. And I think all of us want to see people with disabilities having an opportunity (to participate) fully in their community.' Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, who introduced the legislation, said the measure includes exemptions for some nonprofits in recognition of spaces that provide day services and social settings for individuals with high needs. However, he said the larger change was needed because of instances that have happened in Iowa where businesses have taken advantage of workers with disabilities. 'What we don't want to see is like what has happened here in Iowa, where we have a for-profit vendor, like a turkey farm, that is taking advantage of individuals,' Turek said. 'No one should have to take less pay just because of a physical disability or because of intellectual disability. Many states have done this, and I think it would be fantastic for Iowa to do it.' Rep. Barb Kniff McCulla, R-Pella, said the legislation was still being considered, and did not say at the end of the subcommittee whether the measure will advance for consideration by the full House Labor and Workforce Committee. 'I know the companies that I spoke with, they were all pretty above minimum wage for anybody that had disabilities,' Kniff McCulla said. 'So we'll kind of go from there.'
