Bill Text: IA HF684 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: A bill for an act providing limited immunity from certain criminal offenses and prohibiting certain disciplinary sanctions for persons under twenty-one years of age who report, seek, or require emergency assistance for alcohol overdoses, and modifying penalties. (Formerly HSB 175.) Effective date: 07/01/2020.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2020-06-25 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 789. [HF684 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2019-HF684-Introduced.html
House File 684 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 684 BY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 175) A BILL FOR An Act providing limited immunity from certain criminal 1 offenses and prohibiting certain disciplinary sanctions for 2 persons under twenty-one years of age who report, seek, or 3 require emergency assistance for alcohol overdoses, and 4 modifying penalties. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 2252HV (2) 88 as/rh
H.F. 684 Section 1. Section 123.46, Code 2019, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. A person shall not be charged or 3 prosecuted for a violation of this section if the person is 4 immune from charge or prosecution pursuant to section 701.12. 5 Sec. 2. Section 123.47, Code 2019, is amended by adding the 6 following new subsection: 7 NEW SUBSECTION . 5A. A person shall not be charged or 8 prosecuted for a violation of subsection 3 or 4 if the person 9 is immune from charge or prosecution pursuant to section 10 701.12. 11 Sec. 3. Section 123.47B, Code 2019, is amended by adding the 12 following new subsection: 13 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. If a person under the age of 14 eighteen is discovered consuming or to be in possession of 15 alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer, but the person is immune from 16 prosecution under section 701.12, a peace officer shall make a 17 reasonable effort to identify the person and notify a juvenile 18 court officer of such person’s consumption or possession. 19 Sec. 4. Section 262.9, Code 2019, is amended by adding the 20 following new subsection: 21 NEW SUBSECTION . 39. Prohibit an institution of higher 22 education under its control from imposing any of the following 23 disciplinary sanctions against a student for possession or 24 consumption of alcohol if the student is immune from charge or 25 prosecution pursuant to section 701.12: 26 a. Removal from a course. 27 b. Enrollment restrictions in a course or program. 28 c. Suspension or expulsion from the university. 29 d. Eviction or exclusion from student housing. 30 Sec. 5. Section 321.216B, Code 2019, is amended to read as 31 follows: 32 321.216B Use of driver’s license or nonoperator’s 33 identification card by underage person to obtain alcohol. 34 1. A person who is under the age of twenty-one, who alters 35 -1- LSB 2252HV (2) 88 as/rh 1/ 4
H.F. 684 or displays or has in the person’s possession a fictitious 1 or fraudulently altered driver’s license or nonoperator’s 2 identification card and who uses the license to violate or 3 attempt to violate section 123.47 , commits a simple misdemeanor 4 punishable as a scheduled violation under section 805.8A, 5 subsection 4 . The court shall forward a copy of the conviction 6 to the department. 7 2. A person shall not be charged or prosecuted for a 8 violation of this section if the person is immune from charge 9 or prosecution pursuant to section 701.12. 10 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION . 701.12 Persons under the age of 11 twenty-one seeking emergency assistance for overdose —— immunity. 12 1. A person under the age of twenty-one years shall not be 13 charged or prosecuted for the violation of any of the following 14 offenses if the evidence for the charge was obtained as a 15 result of the person in good faith seeking emergency medical 16 assistance for the person or another person due to an alcohol 17 overdose: 18 a. Section 123.46. 19 b. Section 123.47, subsection 3 or 4. 20 c. Section 321.216B. 21 2. To be eligible for immunity under this section, the 22 reporting person, or persons acting in concert, must do all of 23 the following: 24 a. Be the first person to seek emergency assistance. 25 b. Provide the reporting person’s name and contact 26 information to medical or law enforcement personnel. 27 c. Remain on the scene until assistance arrives or is 28 provided. 29 d. Cooperate with medical and law enforcement personnel. 30 3. The person for whom emergency assistance was sought as 31 described in subsection 1 shall not be charged or prosecuted 32 for an offense listed in subsection 1. 33 EXPLANATION 34 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 35 -2- LSB 2252HV (2) 88 as/rh 2/ 4
H.F. 684 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 1 This bill provides immunity from certain alcohol-related 2 criminal offenses and prohibits certain disciplinary sanctions 3 for certain persons who seek or require emergency assistance 4 for alcohol. 5 The bill creates new Code section 701.12, which provides 6 that a person under the age of 21 shall not be charged or 7 prosecuted for public intoxication, possession of alcohol under 8 the legal age, or use of a driver’s license by an underage 9 person to obtain alcohol, if the person in good faith sought 10 emergency assistance for the person or another person due to 11 an alcohol overdose. A person seeking emergency assistance is 12 only eligible for immunity if the person, or persons acting 13 in concert, is the first person to seek emergency assistance, 14 provides the reporting person’s name and contact information 15 to medical or law enforcement personnel, remains on the scene 16 until assistance arrives or is provided, and cooperates with 17 medical and law enforcement personnel. The bill also provides 18 immunity to the person for whom emergency assistance was 19 sought. 20 Under Code section 232.52, a juvenile court may suspend 21 or revoke the driver’s license or operating privilege of a 22 person under the age of 18, for a period of one year, who 23 has violated Code section 123.46 or 123.47 or Code chapter 24 124. Because the bill provides immunity to persons from those 25 provisions, a person under the age of 18 who receives immunity 26 from prosecution under the bill will not face the loss of such 27 person’s driver’s license for one year. 28 The bill provides that if a person under the age of 18 is 29 discovered consuming or to be in possession of alcohol but 30 receives immunity from prosecution under Code section 701.12, 31 a peace officer shall notify a juvenile court officer of 32 such person’s consumption or possession. Under Code section 33 123.47B(2), the juvenile court officer is required to notify 34 the person’s custodial parent, legal guardian, or custodian and 35 -3- LSB 2252HV (2) 88 as/rh 3/ 4
H.F. 684 the superintendent of authority in charge of the school the 1 person attends of the consumption or possession. 2 The bill directs the board of regents to prohibit the regents 3 universities from imposing certain disciplinary sanctions 4 against a student for the possession or consumption of alcohol 5 if the student is immune from prosecution pursuant to new Code 6 section 701.12. The prohibited disciplinary sanctions are the 7 removal from a course, enrollment restrictions in a course 8 or program, suspension or expulsion from the university, or 9 eviction or exclusion from student housing. 10 The bill makes conforming Code changes. 11 -4- LSB 2252HV (2) 88 as/rh 4/ 4
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