In response to a recent incident right here in Linn and Johnson Counties in which a 10-year-old girl was murdered by a person previously convicted of a sex offense, the Iowa House of Representatives moved quickly to close loopholes in Iowa’s sex offender registry law and toughen penalties for registered sex offenders who don’t comply with the requirements in the law.

With last week’s action on House File 619, any person on the sex offender registry will have to submit to DNA profiling. Any person on the registry who fails to update his or her address will have their name on the registry for an additional ten years. Any person on the sex offender registry who is serving probation or parole must wear an electronic monitoring device. Any sex offender who fails to complete required sex offender treatment while in prison will be ineligible for sentence reduction for good time, potentially doubling the time spent in prison. Registry offenders will need to be photographed each year by the sheriff, with the photograph provided to the state sex offender registry.

This House legislation will make it a criminal offense for any person on the sex offender registry to live within 1,000 feet of any elementary or secondary school or child care facility. And finally, the legislation calls for state government agencies to get together with local law enforcement officials and look for a way to use the state’s various computer databases to help confirm the addresses of persons on the sex offender registry.

As important as these steps may be in keeping offenders in prison longer and making sure the public know that offenders are in their community, passing laws are just one of the steps needed to keep our children safe. Now, we must come up with the funding to make sure these provisions can actually be implemented. Each DNA test costs about $40. Electronic monitoring bracelets for all sex offenders on the registry will cost about $1.2 million and another $1 million will be needed for staff to monitor the devices.

In another action last week, the House approved the education budget bill, House File 816, on a party-line vote. The bill provides approximately $939 million for the College Student Aid Commission; the Department of Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education; the Board of Regents and its institutions; and the Department of Blind, about $44 million less than the Governor recommended. Because this level of budgeting is so inadequate, I voted no.

The education budget bill is one of the most important bills that must be passed this session. House Democrats argued that at the bill’s funding level, resources are insufficient to improve student achievement in our K-12 schools or to keep our state universities affordable. Once again we are in danger of pricing higher education out of reach for many Iowans, at a time when it is more important than ever for success.

The bill also fails to provide adequate funding for quality child care and preschool programs. The evidence is clear that the foundation for learning begins at the very beginning of life. We know that 85% of brain development occurs in the first five years of life. And yet, we continue to neglect the hope for our future, our infants and toddlers. Children who are not properly nurtured and stimulated in their early years are more likely to struggle throughout their school years to keep up and are less likely to become productive, contributing adult citizens.

Some time ago, I heard a presentation by Rob Grunewald, Regional Economic Analyst of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He asserted that the key to economic development is an investment in quality early childhood programs. He informed us that every $1 invested in quality early childhood services results in a $7.15 public benefit. He figured that amounted to a 12% annual return on investment. That sounds like wise fiscal policy to me.

You can write me at the State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50319; call 515/281-3221 or e-mail me at ro.foege@legis.state.ia.us.

Ro

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