Salt and child abuse training bills move ahead

A bill making its way through the legislature would give the Iowa D-O-T some money now to purchase road salt for next winter. Representative Chuck Gipp of Decorah says the D-O-T will be able to buy about 80 tons of salt at a cheaper rate. Gipp says they’d save 40 dollars a ton and several million dollars overall.Governor Vilsack has told legislators he’ll o-k the bill once it gets to his desk.Teachers, doctors, day care workers and others who have direct contact with kids because of their job will get enhanced training. A bill that cleared the Iowa House yesterday calls for better information in the training manuals and videos so-called “mandatory reporters” of child abuse must review. Representative Gregory Hoversten, an emergency room doctor from Sioux City, says the bill is one of the legislature’s responses to the case of Shelby Duis, the Spirit Lake toddler who died of abuse in January, 2000.