Ames legislators said they expect Governor Tom Vilsack to sign into law a measure strengthening Iowa’s hit-and-run penalties.

The bill awaits an action by the governor after receiving unanimous support in the Iowa Senate last week.

Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, who sponsored the measure in the Iowa House, said the bipartisan support the bill has received in both chambers of the Legislature leads her to believe the governor will endorse the measure.

“When I had initially sponsored it, [Vilsack] sent me a note thanking me for addressing the situation,” Heddens said. “I think it’s something he’ll support.”

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said the Senate needed little time or debate before voting unanimously in favor of the measure last Wednesday.

“I think this is something that everyone realized needed to be done,” Quirmbach said. “Accidents happen, but anyone involved has a moral responsibility to remain at the scene to help secure emergency services for anyone injured.”

Under current Iowa law, a driver fleeing the scene of a fatal car accident faces an aggravated misdemeanor charge, punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of $1,500 to $5,000.

The bill approved by the Senate last week would make fleeing the scene of a fatal accident a Class D Felony, punishable by a maximum prison term of up to five years and a fine of $750 to $7,500.

According to the Legislature’s bill clerk’s office, lawmakers in the House, where the measure originated, must finalize the form of the bill, but it should be ready for the governor’s desk by Thursday.

Heddens said she didn’t know when Vilsack may act on the bill.

The December 3 hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of ISU junior Kelly Laughery, she said, played a role in her decision to pursue the issue.

ISU police said Shanda Munn, junior in pre-journalism and mass communication, was driving the car that struck Laughery.

Munn’s trial is set to begin in May.

“The situation that occurred in Ames certainly brought the situation to the forefront,” Heddens said.

Should Vilsack sign the bill into law, Iowa will become the 44th state to make fleeing the scene of a fatal automobile accident a felony.