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Anti-LGBTQIA+ bills killed due to not meeting deadline criteria BY LOGAN.METZGER @iowastatedaily.com A s o f l a s t Fr i d ay, a l l p ro p o s e d a n t i LGBTQIA+ bills in the Iowa Legislature have been labeled as dead. All 14 of the anti-LGBTQIA+ bills that were introduced in this legislative session, in both the House and the Senate, did not make it through the first legislative funnel, according to Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa. “Iowa’s legislature has funnel deadlines,” Crow said. “What a funnel deadline means is that if your bill does not clear a set of criteria by a certain time, then it is no longer debatable for that particular legislative session.” Crow said the first funnel deadline requires a bill to move through both the committee and subcommittee of the chamber that it was introduced in by a certain time. Th e end of the timelines were last Friday. “None of these bills were able to make it through a full committee, and therefore are not able to be debated for the rest of the legislative session,” Crow said. Crow said that although the bills themselves cannot be debated in this legislative session, the ideas behind the bills can. “Just because a particular bill can no longer be debated in this session does not mean that the idea can no longer be debated in this session,” Crow said. “They can add it as an amendment to another bill. Th e most likely scenario is that they add it as some sort of a line item on a budget bill because budget bills are funnel-proof.” Though some of the bills were assigned to subcommittees, none of them had completed their subcommittees before the end date of the funnel. SF508 was introduced on April 4, 2019, by the Committee on Local Government. This bill relates to the standard of judicial review when a state action burdens a person’s exercise of religion. Under current law, a court is not required to apply heightened scrutiny when reviewing a law that burdens a person’s exercise of religion when such law is generally applicable. The bill provides that a court shall apply
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02.25.2020 Vol. 220 No. 104
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Make your date night sustainable Eco-friendly ideas for your relationship BY SYDNEY.NOVAK @iowastatedaily.com When thinking of sexy things, sustainability might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but living a more environmentally friend ly life can be advantageous for a lot of different economic, personal and romantic reasons. There are plenty of ways to still enjoy date night with your significant other while still being environmentally conscious. Roses and flowers are something commonly gifted on date nights and anniversaries, and although beautiful, they wither and die after a shortlived period of time. Flower arrangements can also be expensive and can break the bank if you opt for delivery. Kelsey Culbertson, senior in environmental science, is the campus and community events
intern for the Live Green! leadership team and Live Green! liaison for student organization The Green Umbrella. “Instead of a bouquet of flowers, get an actual plant because it’s something you can take care of and it will last more than a couple days,” Culbertson said. If your special someone really loves flowers, look for RainForest Alliance certified flowers, and if chocolate is a must, opt for Fair Trade Certified. Merry Rankin, program manager for facilities planning and management, is the director of sustainability. She said being a conscious consumer is extremely important when living a sustainable lifestyle. For sustainable and low-cost date ideas for students, Outdoor Recreation Services has affordable options for students who like to get active or go outdoors. There are free fitness classes like yoga and Zumba, as well as outdoor excursions. RJ Green, sustainability strategic planning intern for the Live Green! leadership team, said these outings can strengthen your relationship but also put it to the test. “You will know whether you are destined to be with somebody after a camping trip; you will learn everything you need to know,” Green said. For students of legal drinking age, being environmentally conscious about drinking on date night or when out on the town can also be economic and potentially more safe. After a Friday night, it’s no secret that Chamberlain Street is usually littered with straws and broken bottles.
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One way to prevent excess waste is to take advantage of the Mug Night promotions on Thursdays. Mugs are a sound economic investment as well as being more sustainable and fun. If you forget your mug at home, ask the bartender for a reusable glass instead of plastic, or ask to leave out the straw. Additionally, some estab- lishments on Welch Avenue serve drinks exclusively in glassware. Drinking at home can also be more environmentally friendly. “It is much more economical to stay home and drink,” Green said. “You use your own glassware [and] limit your travel,
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Award-winning writer featured BY NICOLE.MATTSON @iowastatedaily.com G r a n t Wo o d Fo y e r w a s filled with students that came to listen to the readings of Kartika Budhwar for Monday Monologues. Budhwar, an award-winning writer and graduate student in English, shared her poetry and prose about her real-life experiences in India.
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Budhwar shared that she has been writing prose since she was a child. “I’ve been tr ying to write my first novel since I was six,” Budhwar said. Today, Budhwar is a successful writer in poetry and prose, but her love for poetry actually began here at Iowa State. Budhwar talked about her
MONOLOGUES
Want your ideas to impact the world? Explore exciting new opportunities to tap into your inner entrepreneur—whatever your major. Co-create with fellow innovators in the oneof-a-kind Student Innovation Center opening later this spring. Embrace your spirit of adventure.
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MORGAN LAVIOLETTE/ IOWA STATE DAILY Kartika Budhwar works to turn her experiences into whimsical forms of writing like poetry and prose.
