DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa House floor had another busy Wednesday of debate, with notable pieces of legislation passing through the House.
As Local 5 continues to follow what moves through the capitol, here are some pieces of legislation that will see the Senate floor.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in elections
HF 2549 prohibits the use of A.I. in automatic tabulating equipment, ballot marking devices and optical scan voting systems approved for use in the state.
It also requires published campaign material, like commercials that advocate for one candidate, to clearly show if it was made with AI.
Those who don't show proof that it was made with AI could be punished with up to 5 years in confinement and a fine of $1,025-$10,245.
This legislation saw overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle, citing the importance of having legislation on the books as technology continues to evolve.
"Often legislation lags behind in technology, and we all understand the importance of the 2024 election and election integrity like we've mentioned several times," said Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Woodbury.
The bill passed out of the House with a 93-1 vote.
Parental authorization for minors' social media accounts
HF 2523 requires social media companies to get parental approval for a minor to make and use social media accounts.
Additionally, this legislation would require the social media platforms to share passwords and all access to the account of the minor.
The bill would allow the attorney general to invoke civil action against a company if it fails to get parental approval.
Lawmakers from both parties emphasized the negative impacts social media has had on the younger generation, specifically referring to suicides and tragedies resulting from social media use.
"I'd like the body to be cognizant of the number of deaths that have occurred because of exploitation of social media by bad actors," said Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Floyd. "Many of these are younger men, 17 and under who have been exploited using sexploitation techniques."
The bill passed out of the house with a vote of 88-6.
Gadsden Flag special registration plates
HF 2639 would allow the Department of Transportation to design and issue Gadsden flag special registration plates, with the funds being distributed to the National Rifle Association and similar nonprofit organizations.
Each plate would cost $50, and it would cost $25 to personalize the plates.
House Democrats proposed 29 different amendments to this legislation. Many of the amendments would replace the theme of the plate or allocate the funds elsewhere.
The entire purpose of the proposed amendments was to send a message about the Legislature's priorities.
"The reason we are running them is because there are problems in this state, there are issues the state is facing," said Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Polk. "And we are spending time on a new license plate to fund the NRA."
The bill ultimately passed out of the house with a 60-34 vote.