(Radio Iowa) – House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans in the Iowa House have developed an alternative to Governor Kim Reynolds’ proposed overhaul of Area Education Agencies that help educate students with disabilities.  “We wanted to provide certainty for special education,” Grassley says. “We took Iowans’ feedback that we’ve been having in our meetings and realized how important that was.”

Reynolds wants to let schools use a private firm, a different A-E-A or hire more special ed staff in their districts for the next school year. The House G-O-P plan would start sending state and federal special education funding directly to schools rather than the A-E-As — as the governor proposed — but it may only be used for special ed services from the local A-E-A.  “We’re not changing the ability for AEAs and schools to work together,” Grassley says. “This plan would continue to encourage that.” Grassley says the plan calls for a study that would involve legislators, educators and parents.

A new state Division of Special Education would be created as the governor proposed, but with half as many employees and most of them would be assigned to work in the A-E-A regions. The nine A-E-A administrators would see their salaries cut to be in line with local superintendents in their region. In years two and three of the House G-O-P plan, schools would no longer have to use the A-E-As for media services or other education-related services, like teacher training and curriculum materials.

“We know that there’s still work to be done on some of the details,” Grassley says, “but we also know we’re against the clock right now and we feel we’ve taken a lot of input to get to the point where we’ve addressed a lot of the concerns that have existed on all of these issues, to try to continue to move their conversation forward for the legislative session.”

House Republicans decided a few weeks ago to table the governor’s bill on A-E-As. In a written statement, Reynolds said she appreciates that she and lawmakers will be able to continue the conversation about A-E-A changes. In a separate bill, House Republicans propose raising the salary for new teachers to at least 50-thousand dollars — as the governor called for — but over the next two years. Grassley says that would give schools time to adjust the pay levels for current teachers. House Republicans want to send 14 million dollars to schools — to raise the pay for other school staff.

“Really looking at your in-the-classroom para educators and others that we know our school districts are struggling to find right now and retain,” Grassley says, “and part of that also gets back to that one-on-one instruction in the classroom dealing with special education students, so we think it feeds in and ties into what that other conversation is with the AEAs.”

These proposals are scheduled for debate in the House Education Committee later today (Thursday), along with a bill that would increase general state per pupil spending on public schools by three percent.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to ban traffic enforcement cameras AND require motorists to mainly use smart phones in hands-free mode while driving is eligible for debate in both the Iowa House AND Senate. The bill passed out of the House Transportation Committee on a narrow 11-to-10 vote yesterday (Wednesday). Some committee said the two issues should be separated. Others oppose the ban on traffic cameras. Committee chairman Brian Best of Glidden says he hopes to craft a compromise.

“Sometimes in the political world…things we do don’t make sense completely,” Best said, “but, at the same time….my ears are open.” Law enforcement officials are raising concerns about an outright ban on traffic cameras, along with continuing to allow motorists to handle a smart phone while driving if they’re talking or using the phone for navigation. Johnston Police Chief Dennis McDaniel is president of the Iowa Police Chiefs Association.

“We’re going to partner with our legislators to find common ground…to take two totally separate traffic safety initiatives and make it safer for Iowans,” he says. “We believe that the hands free legislation can be likely strengthened to make it a safety option and an easier option that creates commonality for motorists across Iowa.”

Law enforcement officials say they’re open to state regulation of cameras that generate tickets for speeding or running red lights, but oppose an outright ban on automated traffic enforcement technology.

(UPDATED 2/15/24) – DES MOINES, Iowa – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports that on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, a federal jury in Des Moines convicted 47-year-old Bradley Eugene Wendt, of Adair, of conspiring to make false statements to the ATF, making false statements to the ATF, and illegal possession of a machine gun.

Since July 2018, Wendt has been the Chief of Police for Adair, Iowa.  He is also the owner of BW Outfitters, a federal firearms licensee in Denison, Iowa. Evidence at trial showed that, between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt used his position as Chief of Police to obtain machine guns for his own personal use and profit, including to buy machine guns for his own store.

Generally, machine guns made after May 1986 are illegal to transfer and possess.  But, law enforcement agencies can buy machine guns for their official use and authorized dealer can get machine guns to demonstrate to a police department for the department’s future possible purchase.  If a police department wants to purchase or receive a demonstration of a machine gun, it can submit a letter to ATF, referred to as a “law letter,” expressing its need for and interest in the machine gun.

Between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt wrote nearly 40 law letters, requesting the purchase or demonstration of 90 machine guns for the Adair Police Department.  In the law letters to purchase machine guns for his two-man department, Wendt said he was buying the machine guns for the official use of his department and was not getting the machine guns for resale.  In the law letters requesting demonstrations of machine guns, Wendt said the Adair Police Department wanted a demonstration for the department’s future possible purchase of the requested machine guns.

A jury found that Wendt made false statements in several of these letters, convicting him of conspiracy to make false statements to the ATF and eight counts of making a false statement to the ATF.  Evidence at trial showed that Wendt purchased machine guns for the Adair Police Department, but later resold those machine guns at a personal profit of nearly $80,000.  The evidence also showed Wendt used demonstration law letters to purchase machine guns for his own gun store, BW Outfitters, including a .50 caliber machine gun called a “Ma Deuce,” which he immediately mounted to his personally owned armored Humvee.

Wendt was also convicted of illegal possession of a machine gun, based on his personal possession of a belt-fed, M60 machine gun registered to the Adair Police Department.  Wendt, along with his gun store BW Outfitters, hosted a machine gun shoot in April 2022, where he charged the public to shoot machine guns, including several registered to the Adair Police Department.  The jury found Wendt was not acting within the scope of his official duties when he possessed the M60 machine gun.

Wendt faces  up to five years’ prison on the conspiracy count, five years’ prison for each false statement charge, and up to ten years’ prison for illegal possession of a machine gun. Sentencing is scheduled for June 14, 2024 at the United States Courthouse in Des Moines.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said “In a stark abuse of the position of trust he held, Brad Wendt exploited his position as chief of police to unlawfully obtain and sell guns for his own personal profit. When so many law enforcement officers in our country are working to protect our communities and uphold the law,  Brad Wendt did exactly the opposite. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who violate their oath of office to enrich themselves.”

Kansas City Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen stated “Mr. Wendt was in a position of trust and his egregious behavior betrayed his community he was entrusted to protect.  Wendt was sworn to uphold the law, but instead he abused his authority as the Chief of Police for his own personal benefit.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement. “No one relishes seeking criminal prosecution of a law enforcement officer,” stated U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal,
“however, with the oath of public service, comes the accountability of putting the public trust at the forefront of this duty. An oath that most officers zealously pursue every day with honor. If an individual law enforcement officer is the exception to this rule, then we should not shirk from holding them accountable. Our thanks to the dedicated work of the investigative ATF and FBI agents, and our hard working trial team.” This case was investigated by ATF and FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mikaela Shotwell, Ryan Leemkuil, and Shai Gonzales.