State officials want new penalties targeting bomb-makers. Representative Mark Brandenburg, a Republican from Council Bluffs, says the move is a priority for the Iowa Department of Public Safety and Brandenburg urged legislators to pass a bill on the subject.
“This bill adds four chemicals to the current list of 14 chemicals that cannot be possessed with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance,” Brandenburg says. “Possession of these substances is a Class D felony.”
It means law enforcement can charge someone with possession of these four chemical ingredients for a bomb as well as for possession of the final product. The four new chemical that would be added to the illegal list are ammonia nitrate, ammonia sulfate, sodium hydroxide — which is also known as lye — and a distilled petroleum known by the slang term “white gas.”
The Iowa House passed the bill unanimously. It now goes to the Senate for consideration. There are more than 60 subcommittee meetings today at the statehouse, as lawmakers face a deadline next week. Policy-related bills must win approval from a House or Senate Committee next week — by Friday, March 8th — or they’re declared ineligible for consideration.
Bills that deal with taxes or spending are eligible for debate at any time during the legislative session.