HF 2146 – Lottery kiosks
HF 2353 – EMS employees and public office
HF 2363 – Closed sessions
HF 2364 – Public notices
FLOOR ACTION:
HF 2146 authorizes the dispensing of lottery tickets and products by self-service kiosks. Code section 99G.3 is amended to define a “self-service kiosk” as a machine that dispenses only online lotto tickets, instant tickets, pull-tab tickets or other printed lottery products, and that does not provide a visual or audio representation of lottery game play. The definition specifically provides that a self-service kiosk is not a monitor vending machine or player-activated gambling machine.
New Code section 99G.12 authorizes the Lottery Authority to operate self-service kiosks in locations where lottery games and lottery products are sold so long as the kiosks are owned or leased by the Lottery Authority, are located and placed in retail locations as authorized, and do not extend or arrange credit for the purchase of a lottery ticket or product. In addition, the bill permits the self-service kiosk to dispense change but provides that the kiosk cannot be used to dispense cash winnings for a lottery ticket or product. The bill takes effect upon enactment.
[3/15: 39-10 (Behn, Bisignano, Bolkcom, Costello, Feenstra, Garrett, Guth, Hogg, Quirmbach, Rozenboom “no”; Chapman excused)]
HF 2353 relates to the prohibition on emergency management organization employees holding elected office. Under current law, they are prohibited from soliciting contributions for political parties or political candidates at certain times, from seeking or using a political endorsement in connection to appointment to an emergency management position, and from interfering with elections and election results. These prohibitions do not stop emergency management organization employees from holding certain nonpartisan elected offices. The bill strikes the language providing this exception and strikes another provision that prohibits such employees from becoming candidates for partisan elected office.
[3/16: 49-0 (Bertrand excused)]
HF 2363 makes changes to Iowa’s open meetings law, including:
- Prohibiting a government body from excluding a member from attending a closed session unless the member has a conflict of interest related to the item that is announced to be discussed at the closed session.
- Prohibiting those who attend a closed session from discussing what happened during closed session.
- Establishing that the Court is required to assess damages of not more than $1,000 if a member violates this provision. The Senate adopted a committee amendment that struck this provision.
[3/15: 46-3 (Allen, Bisignano, Bolkcom “no”; Chapman excused)]
HF 2364 relates to public notice and the accessibility of meetings of government bodies. Under Code chapter 21 (Iowa’s open meetings law), a government body must give reasonable notice of the time, date and place of meetings, and the tentative agenda at least 24 hours before the meeting unless for good cause such notice is impossible or impractical. Each meeting must be held at a place reasonably accessible to the public and at a time reasonably convenient to the public, unless for good cause such a place or time is impossible or impracticable.
The bill provides an exception to the 24-hour notice requirement. When a government body is prevented from convening an otherwise properly noticed meeting, it may convene the meeting if it posts an amended notice of the meeting conforming to the otherwise applicable notice requirements under the open meetings law.
[3/15: 49-0 (Chapman excused)]