Today is the 100th day of session, which marks the final scheduled day for the 2022 legislative session. The House has worked hard to be done on time. We’ve passed every budget, aside from the standings budget which is usually the last piece of legislation to move. We have also worked hard to pass numerous policy proposals we hoped to deliver to our constituents this session. Now, we must wait on the Senate to pass their budget proposals so we can iron out any differences there may be between our numbers. We will continue to work tirelessly to finish up the job you sent us here to do in a timely fashion. And I will continue to listen to you on all remaining policy pieces left this session.

House adds consumer protections to Bottle Bill

After years of hard work and bipartisan negotiations, the Iowa House passed a bill last week to make improvements to Iowa’s bottle return law. A few weeks ago, the Senate passed their language on the Bottle Bill. This bill had done a good job of getting the various industry groups on board with the proposal. However, the House felt additional protections for consumers were necessary. So we added an amendment to ensure this is a program that will work for consumers.

Senate File 2378 takes many positive steps toward improving the current system. It increases the handling fee for redemption centers and retailers who accept bottle returns to 3 cents per container, up from just 1 cent. It also gives retailers the ability to opt-out of taking empty containers back if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Retailer has a food establishment license and has a certified food protection manager on site,

• Retailer has an agreement with a mobile redemption system, or

• The retailer is within the radius of a redemption center based on the convenience standard for their county.

It enhances enforcement by strengthening fines and enabling the DNR and attorney general to work together to ensure all stakeholders – retailers, distributors, redemption centers, and recyclers – are following the law. It establishes a legislative review committee that will meet ahead of the 2026 legislative session to review how the law is working and report back to the legislature its findings and recommendations.

The current bottle deposit law has not been updated in over 40 years. These changes aim to give consumers more convenient locations to return their bottles and help the system run more smoothly.

State Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, represents Calhoun, Humboldt, and Pocahontas counties plus western Webster County.