The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-05-02
LEGISLATIVE notes.
What the Iowa Legislators Are
Doing at Special Session
For Code Revision


swept through the house by vote OF
SO to 35 after a three and one-half
hour debate. Practically every men,
Der of the house agreed on the pas
sage Of the sections relating to the
budgeting of state funds, but repre-
sentatives Berry of Monroe, Rassler
Of Pocahontas and Crisweh OF Boone
fought the adoption Of the committee
report for over three hours. The con-
ference report on the budget bill was
nc. amendable. The importance at
tached to the bill and the compare
tive speed with which the compro-
mise measure passed the house Is TAX
en- as an indication that the bill will
be passed by the senate. II the bill
is passed by the senate the first bud
get report for the state will be sub
mitted to the forty-frst assembly
when 1t convenes next November. The
bill, as It was passed by thine house
provides for one director Of the bud
get, a state budget system, board OF
appeal, and a local budget system to
apply to all municipalities.
The scheme of collecting the laws
to be published in the new code has
virtually been decided upon. 1t Is
now proposed to gather up the sec
tions of the compiled code, which
have not been modified by the special
session and dovetail the sections mo-
dified in the code revision bills with
them and publish the whole volume as
the new code. This session has dealt
with only about a third Of the Sec
lions of the compiled code, which was
a compilation of the existing laws
deemed unnecessary to revise.
Iowa will go under the budget me-
thod of control of public finances both
state and local within the year as
the result of the final adoption in the
legislature of the compromise budget
bill. drafted by the conference COM
mittee of the two houses. The pro-
visions of the bill are very similar to
those Of the federal budget law. The
house passed the bill by vote Of So
to 35 and the senate followed suit by
approving 1t by a vote Of 20 to Is.
The eugenics marriage bill met de-
feat when the senate adopted the third
conference committee report on the
measure, which eliminates all refer
ence to the subject from the marriage
and incest bill. The house previous.
ly had adopted the same report. The
measure now goes to the governor In
virtually the same form in which It
was submitted by the code commits
sion.
The budget bill as passed by the
House creates the office Of director Of
the budget, who will be nominated by
the governor and appointed by the
senate to serve a six-year term. II
the present bill passes the senate, the
first director of the budget will be
appointed prior to July 1, 1924. He
will serve until July 1, 1927. The du-
ties of director of the budget include
the preparation of state budget, con-
sideration and accommodation Of To-
cal budgets, and investigation Of state
departments.
State sale of gasoline, proposed by
Representative Ontjes of Grundy
county was lightly treated in the
house and Ontjes amendment was de-
feated by vote of to 20. The Ont
jes proposal was modification of the
South Dakota plan. 1t provided for
the sale by the executive council Of
gasoline, fuel oil and coal whenever
the council deemed unfair discrimina-
ton was being made or pools and
trusts maintained.
Consideration of a bill to compel a
showing OF necessity in the applica-
ton to railroad commissioners for
the establishment of bus lines, was
refused by the lower house Of the
state legislature when the bill failed
by a wide margin to gain the neces-
sary two-thirds majority to permit its
introduction. The existing law re-
quires bus companies to show only
that the bus lines they wish to es-
tablish will be convenience to the pub
lie.
Thirty-two bills remain to be acted
on before recess. OF these eleven are
not code revision bills. They are
mainly legalizing acts. The twenty
one remaining code revision bills must
be disposed Of to complete code revi-
sion. Ten Of these bills interlock
with each other and each must be
passed in the revision order of things.
Six bills, all of which are affected by
the budget bill, cannot be acted on
until the budget bill is passed.
This code revising session will
doubtless be Iowa's last. 1t is intend.
ed to be, for the present session has
passed a law providing for the pub
ication of new code every four years
and for keeping up the revision from
session to session. In every odd mum.
bered session hereafter session laws
will be printed and in every even
numbered session a new code, embody.
ing the previous sessions laws will be
published.
The house concurred with the sen.
ate In passing the verbose and tech
nical bill on future estates.
An act to legaiize the special cleo
tian hald M VaIIay Y,,,.tl~.. -. -.