Senate File 298 passed through the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives with ease.

The bill that was proposed as a way to stop loopholes in Iowa’s sex abuse laws.

On March 13, 2013, SF298 passed through the Senate with 49 ayes and zero nays.

When the bill was passed onto the House, SF298 passed with 98 ayes and zero nays.

From being introduced in early March with two amendments made, the bill passed through both the Senate and House of Representatives by April 8, 2013.

“It appears to add the act of ejaculation on another person; I cannot disagree with that although this may already fit into existing assault codes,” said Geoff Huff, Criminal Investigations division commander.

The bill was motivated by a couple cases that the prosecutors couldn’t prosecute under the language that was used in the act that was already in place.

“We had to rewrite the bill to make it clear that causing could go either way,” said Sen. Rob Hogg.

Hogg is the floor manager in the Senate for SF298.

The bill now establishes that it doesn’t matter who made the initial contact; if a child is in a sexual act with an adult it is described as sexual abuse.

Hogg said, “We have now addressed those situations and there seems to be bipartisan support and therefore it passed legislation pretty easily.”

Anyone who violates this new act will be convicted of a class “C” felony or a class “D” felony.

Lobbyists for this bill have either decided to be undecided or to support the bill.

There are no lobbyists who are against the bill and those who are undecided remain that way, because it is not necessarily important to the department they lobby for.