(Radio Iowa)- The state law requiring state inspection of hotels and motels every other year is likely to be repealed soon. State officials haven’t been doing inspections that frequently and the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has proposed that hotel inspections be triggered by customer complaints. Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate have sent the governor a bill to accomplish that goal. Senator Carrie Koelker, a Republican from Dyersville, says state inspections of hotels and motels are prioritized according to the kind of complaints.

“They also prioritize food inspections over hotels in general because there’s a greater potential for public harm, so customer complaints are sufficient and more frequent,” Koelker said. “We need to have hotels step up and take responsibility for their reputation, their bed bug problems, their own communities.” Democrats opposed the move and many who spoke during debate mentioned bed bug problems. Senator Tony Bisignano of Des Moines says the bill sends the wrong signal.

“When people come to this state to spend the night — come for the basketball tournaments, travel to do work, your relatives visit from out of town — you’d like to at least be able to say: ‘Hey, we keep an eye on our hotels. It should be good,'” Bisignano said. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, says he got the willies when he checked into a southeast
Iowa hotel due to dirty sheets and a filthy bathroom.

“We want to sell Iowa as a great place to live, visit and enjoy yourself and so this bill just smacks against all that,” Dotzler said. “I know that our inspectors are overworked. Let’s add some inspectors.” Koelker, the bill’s floor manager, says the hotel Dotzler described was alarming, but Koelker says most hotels are part of chains that have higher standards than state law. “We all know I love tourism, I represent tourism and I invite people to Iowa,” Koelker said, “and so I obviously would not bring a bill to us that would damage our reputation.”

The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has authority to inspect 580 hotels in the state, with 22 people on staff to inspect hotels as well as food processing plants, food establishments and home-based food businesses.