House File 299 HOUSE FILE BY HUTTER Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to enhancing the criminal penalty for offenses 2 against a person sixty=five years of age or older. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2374HH 80 5 jm/sh/8 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 902.14 CRIMINAL OFFENSE AGAINST 1 2 A PERSON SIXTY=FIVE YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER == ENHANCEMENT. 1 3 A criminal offense classified as a felony in the Code, 1 4 except a class "A" felony, shall be classified and punished as 1 5 an offense one degree higher than the underlying offense if 1 6 the person against whom the crime is committed is sixty=five 1 7 years of age or older. 1 8 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 903.7 CRIMINAL OFFENSE AGAINST A 1 9 PERSON SIXTY=FIVE YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER == ENHANCEMENT. 1 10 A criminal offense classified as a misdemeanor in the Code 1 11 shall be classified and punished as an offense one degree 1 12 higher than the underlying offense if the person against whom 1 13 the crime is committed is sixty=five years of age or older. 1 14 Sec. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 1 15 3, shall not apply to this Act. 1 16 EXPLANATION 1 17 This bill relates to enhancing the criminal penalty for 1 18 offenses against a person 65 years of age or older. 1 19 The bill provides that any criminal offense in the Code, 1 20 except a class "A" felony, shall be reclassified one degree 1 21 higher than the underlying criminal offense if the person 1 22 against whom the crime is committed is 65 years of age or 1 23 older. 1 24 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 1 25 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 1 26 25B.2, subsection 3, which would relieve a political 1 27 subdivision from complying with a state mandate if funding for 1 28 the cost of the state mandate is not provided or specified. 1 29 Therefore, political subdivisions are required to comply with 1 30 any state mandate included in the bill. 1 31 LSB 2374HH 80 1 32 jm/sh/8 1 33 1 34 1 35