Legislative Outlook: Kressig Considering Push to Reduce Penalty on Crack-Cocaine in Iowa

A Cedar Falls lawmaker said he's considering introducing a bill to reduce the penalty for crack-cocaine in Iowa.

The penalty for crack is much harsher than for its sister drug, powder cocaine. For example, a person arrested for 10 grams to 50 grams of crack in Iowa faces the same penalty as someone with 100 grams to 500 grams of cocaine - up to 25 years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine.

State Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, said Iowa prisons are crowded with non-violent offenders, and he'd like to "bring down the penalty for crack cocaine" so it is more in line with cocaine. 

"There's a large number of people in the prison system today that haven't made a threat," Kressig said. "They're in there for drugs. There's a better way of dealing with that."

People with lesser amounts should have smaller sentences and have an opportunity to work through community programs, he said.

The Public Safety Advisory Board, which was appointed by the Iowa Legislature, made a similar recommendation in a December report to reduce the penalty for crack cocaine so it is closer to powder cocaine. Kressig is a ranking member of the public safety committee of the legislature.

Congress has already taken that step at the federal level to reduce crack cocaine penalties. Some feel the penalties for crack cocaine are racially biased.

Kressig said he'd like to see what colleagues are thinking before moving forward with a bill.

Kressig

Kressig is in his fifth term as a Democratic state representative from Cedar Falls.

Kressig serves on the following committees: Commerce, Local Government and he is a ranking member of Public Safety and he is on the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.

We caught up with Kressig to talk about the legislative session late last week, prior to Branstad's Condition of the State address.

Here's more of his thoughts on priorities and issues this session:

Allowable Growth

"Education funding is going to be key. K-12, post secondary, pre-K, in the past hasn't fared so well," Kressig said.

Kressig said the state has the resources this year to improve education funding, he said.

"It would different if we didn't have money, but that's not the case," Kressig said referring to a state surplus.

It appears Kressig and the Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, will be at odds over education funding. Branstad's plan includes no increase in allowable growth, which two years ago proved to be a major fight in the legislature and in school districts around the state.

"I would like to see allowable growth that would meet the needs of schools," Kressig said. "Zero percent is not acceptable."

Property Tax

Kressig would like to see commercial property tax reform, particularly for small businesses.

"Taxes should be fair, especially for small businesses. I'm not looking at the Walmarts and Targets of the world, but main street businesses would benefit from that especially," Kressig said.

Regents

"For the state colleges, funding there has dropped off significantly. We will see what we can come up with on that. We need to continue to invest in key programs in state," he said.

"They've been cut significantly. At UNI, 90 percent are Iowa students. They don't get out of state students. There's not a cache of money over there. Fifty eight programs closed and Price Lab."

Kressig said he supports a state funded scholarship program, but thinks the costs got out of hand. The Iowa Board of Regents proposed the $40 million need-based grant program when an in-house mechanism for funding merit- and need-based scholarships came under fire.

Some felt the "tuition set aside" method was not transparent and was unfair to make some students pay more in order to subsidize the education of peers.

"I will do what I can to see that it gets accomplished," Kressig said, noting legislators first raised concerns about tuition set aside. "But, the price tag is a little steep."