Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-04-20
Iowa General Assembly Adjourned
on the 18th After Being in
Session Since Jan. II.
LAWS PASSED BY THE SOLONS
Joint Resolutions and Brief Synopsis
of the Acts Adopted by the
Thirtieth Session.

ueth general assembly OF the state ad-
journed, after being in session since
the 18th Of January.
The session has been one of the
busiest ever held in the state. More
than 900 bills were introduced in the
two houses and of these DO have been
enacted into laws.
The most important work of the as
sembly came in the last few days. as
usual, and included the adoption of
all the important appropriation bills,
carrying with them, in round figures,
a total of $3,725,000. OF this sum
ming expenses of the state government:
$S99,9S0 was for the state penal and
charitable institutions; $685., 900 was
given to the three big educational in
su,utions, the State university at
Iowa City, the State Normal at Cedar
Falls and the State Agricultural college
at Ames; $125,000 went to the estab-
lishment of state dipsomaniac asy-
lum at KnoXvile; 100000 was as
signed for use in completion of the
state historical library buildings;
$4,000 yearly to the payment of sal
aries of state house employees, and the
balance in sums of various sizes for
many purposes.
The assembly was as remarkable for
the laws which failed of adoption as
for those which were passed. Among
the former were the undetermined
sentence bill, the bill creating state
board Of regents for the educational
institutions, the woman's reformatory
bill, the act for a statewide primary
law, and the general exemption act
The principal acts adopted and
those In which the most interest was
shown, were: The drainage law. the
stock shippers law. the establishment
of a dispOmaniac hospital. the juvenile
court law; providing for taking of
comprehensive agricultural census of
state, and many amendments to the
state insurance laws to guard against
fraudulent companies.
The biennial election constitutional
amendment was again submitted to
the people and will doubtless carry
next fall. Should it do so the pres
ent members of the legislature will
hold over and the thirty-first assembly
of the state will be composed of the
present membership.
A brief synopsis of the Joint resolu-
tons and laws adopted by the legis-
lature Just ended follows:
JOINT RESOLUTIONS.
No. l. Proposing to amend the con-
stitutiOn of Iowa SO as to provide for
biennial elections.
No. 2. Relating to the selection CT
additional employees of the Thirtieth
general assembly. fixing their compen-
sation and defining their duties.
No. 3. For an applicatio to the
congress of the United States of
America in behalf of the state of Iowa,
for the calling of convention pro-
posing amendments to the constitution
of the United States of America for
election of United States senators by
popular vote.
No. 4. Defining the duties of the
commissioner of the bureau of labor
in conjunction with the census bureau
of the United States in the collection
of statistics relative to the enumera-
ton of the manufacturing industries of
the state.
No. ). Providing for the appoint
ment of committee Of two from house
and one from senate to purchase a
suitable chair and gavel each for the
speaker of the house and president of
the senate.
No q. For appointment of commit
tee to investigate workings of indie
terminate sentence and Elmira re-
formatory system. Appropriating
$500.
No. I. Appointment of joint com
mittee to investigate system and man
agement of affairs of state educational
institutions.
NEW LAWS ADOPTED.
S. f. No. /. Making an appropria-
ton of $4,000 or SO much thereof as
may be necessary for payment of ex-
traordinary expenses caused by the
fire in the capitol and for the tenn
porary repair of the hall of the house
of representatives.
>. Il. NO. u. Appr0prlatlng So,OOO
for the purchase of land for the use of
the Iowa Soldiers Orphans home at
Davenport
5. +. No. 8. LegaliZing acts and
resolutions of the city council Of the
city of Dubuque, relative to the i'm
provement of the streets and alleys
Of that city.
S. +. No. -. Amending the law as
1t appears in section 2942-f of the
supplement of the code, relating to
conveyances of real estate. Striking
out word each in the fourth line and
substituting the word such.
S. Il. No. a. Giving city councils
the right to all vacancies in city Of
fees prior to elections to all the same.
S. r. No. 16. Giving counties the
right to make an assessment of four
mills as levy for bridge purposes, in
stead of three mills, as heretofore.
S. r. No. II, Amending the laws