Barker

Thursday of this week was Scouting Day on the Hill. As an Eagle Scout myself, it was my honor to provide the invocation for the House followed by the pledge lead by Troop 128 Eagle Scouts Keygan Angus and Peter Thomas.

Heavenly Father,

We come before you this morning with grateful hearts. We are blessed to live in a place and time where we have the freedoms to gather and express our beliefs. We are blessed to be entrusted to lead our state in this beautiful place.

With freedom also comes responsibility. Our nation is facing a time of division. May we recall that Scripture urges us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. May you help leaders here in Iowa and across our great nation rise to this current moment and reflect your will in our words and in our deeds.

May we listen — truly listen — to those with differing opinions, backgrounds and perspectives.

May we stand strong on the foundation of our principles while also demonstrating that disagreement is healthy and natural in our republic.

Lord, we know the only words and actions that we can control are our own. May they honor you and your Kingdom as we do business in this place.

In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

• Iowa House Republicans Release Tough-On-Crime Legislative Package

This week, Iowa House Republicans released a slate of tough-on-crime legislative proposals to ensure Iowa does not become a haven for career criminals. The first bill, which is awaiting a bill number, is the House Republicans Career Criminals bill. We are proposing implementation of a “Three-and-Done” Strike System. If you choose a lifestyle of crime, you choose to lose your ability to live freely in our society. Under current law, repeat violent offenders are released back onto the streets where they become a risk to our children and loved ones.

The second bill, which will run through the Public Safety Committee, is a pretrial accountability and bail reform act. Current loopholes and excessive judicial discretion have allowed career criminals to return to the streets shortly after arrest. These reforms close those gaps.

House Study Bill 631 will create a dashboard to provide Iowans with objective data on how judges exercise their discretion. Currently, when Iowans head to the polls for retention elections, they are often flying blind, forced to rely on hearsay rather than facts. By making this information clear and accessible to Iowans, we are empowering voters with an accurate understanding of how a judge manages the people’s business. This isn’t about telling judges how to rule; it is about ensuring that when they use their discretion, they do so in the light of day.

These three bills will be debated in subcommittees and committees in the coming weeks. House Republicans are looking forward to hearing from those in the community and in law enforcement to ensure these bills truly make Iowa a better place.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to work hard on your behalf in Des Moines! Follow “Barker for Iowa” on social media channels to stay up to date on my work. Please reach out to me about any questions, concerns or suggestions at brett.barker@legis.iowa.gov.

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Brett Barker, a Republican from Nevada, represents District 51 in the Iowa House.