Iowa Governor Chet Culver’s proposal to update the deposit law generated a lot of attention and little approval. It included adding non-carbonated beverages and increasing the deposit to ten cents; however, consumers would have only received an 8¢ refund. (1 cent would have gone to redeemers as a handling fee increase, and one to the state for environmental programs.) The governor abandoned the proposal, but there is no shortage of other bottle bills in Iowa.
Research on March 12 revealed three still-living bills regarding beverage container redemption in Iowa.
SF2024: Sponsored by Senator Daryl Beall (Fort Dodge), SF 2024 is the bill preferred by Iowa's redemption centers, which have been pushing hard for a handling fee increase. The bill proposes the following amendments to the Iowa deposit law:
HF2277: This house bill, sponsored by Representative Whitaker, is defined as an Act relating to beverage container control by expanding the number of beverage containers covered, eliminating the requirement of distributors to collect and pay refund values, and making conforming changes.
HF2537: Introduced by the Committee on Environmental Protection, HF2537 would expand the beverages covered to essentially all beverages but milk, and increase the handling fee to 2¢.
Jan 22, 2008: SF2024 was referred to a subcommittee of the Natural Resources and Environment committee.
February 29: HF2277 was advanced out of subcommittee for debate in the full House Environmental Protection committee. Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, an Ames Democrat and member of the House committee, says she believes her committee will pass the measure the week of March 3rd. If it does, then it could be up for debate by the entire House.
March 6: HF2537 was introduced and placed on the calendar.
Rose Shepard
Shepards Redemption Center
641-990-7153
Iowa Bottle Bill Coalition
[email protected]
Senator Daryl Beall
[email protected]
515-573-7889
515-576-5532