Northwest Iowa — July 1st — the date when new laws take effect — is quickly approaching. An area legislator who used to represent portions of our area and still represents the territory directly to our east has come up with a list of some of the most important law changes that are soon to be activated.
Tenth District Iowa State Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake says that some of the most notable new laws will ban drivers from holding cell phones; prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; and remove gender identity protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
He says that other laws that will go into effect include 18-year-olds can buy handguns as the purchasing age drops from 21; Medicaid will no longer cover gender-affirming surgeries or hormone therapies; local governments can’t ban shooting off fireworks on 4th of July or New Year’s Eve; pharmacy benefit managers will face new regulations; a $1.2 billion unemployment tax cut for businesses will kick in; and election officials will gain new tools to verify voters’ citizenship.
