It’s been a busy legislative session so far for state representatives and senators, and some of that activity could lead to a busy year in 2022 for Iowa voters.

That’s because there have been several proposed amendments to the State Constitution, which each require passage through two general assemblies followed by ratification in a special election. One of the proposed amendments is House Joint Resolution 13, which would give citizens the right to keep and bear arms, originally laid out in the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment was previously close to a public vote, but as State Representative Chris Hagenow, (R) District 19, explains, it was brought back to square one. “We did run that two years ago, and because of an error in the Secretary of State’s Office, we had to start over from scratch this year. But if things move forward the way we’d like, that would be on the ballot for voters to decide sometime in 2022.”

Another amendment in discussion at the legislature involves what’s called “Marsy’s Law.” State Senator Jake Chapman, (R) District 10, is floor managing House Joint Resolution 11, which would give specific rights to victims of crimes. The law has been enacted in several other states, originating in California, and Chapman feels it’s an important piece to add to Iowa’s Constitution. “I will say, here in Iowa when it comes to our state code and law, we have very strong victim rights language. But there’s nothing that can be stronger than language that’s placed in the Constitution. And so I’m an advocate for making sure victims of crimes have very clear constitutional rights.”

Chapman is also floor managing Senate Joint Resolution 9, which removes language from the Constitution that protects a woman’s right to get an abortion, a clause that has halted the “Fetal Heartbeat” and “72-hour Wait Period” bills in court the last two years. One last proposed amendment that has garnered much discussion is House Study Bill 68, which was proposed by Governor Kim Reynolds in order to give voting rights to felons. To learn more about these and other topics in the current general assembly, listen to our weekly legislative update on Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program.