The Democrats who control what comes up for a vote say budget issues will dominate the 2010 session as the recession continues to pinch state revenues. But lawmakers have introduced hundreds of bills on other topics.

Friday marks the first so-called funnel, a deadline that winnows the workload by letting some bills move forward and others die.

Of the six topics, Democrats are most likely to push ahead toward passing four:

• Banning texting while driving.
• Beefing up inspections of dog breeders.
• Standardizing the way concealed-weapons permits are issued throughout the 99 counties.
• Expanding gambling to bring in fresh state revenue.

House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, gave this take on the results: "I think of that collection of topics, they're clearly interested in government sticking to its core business, which is public safety."

Regulation of texting and driving deserves lawmakers' time, 72 percent of respondents said. The topic least worthy of debate: gay marriage. Only 36 percent of Iowans want lawmakers to focus efforts on the issue.
The Iowa Constitution grants marriage rights to same-sex as well as opposite-sex couples, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled last spring. Democratic leaders are determined to avoid a debate on changing the constitution.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, said: "We'll do our best to avoid divisive social issues with few exceptions."

But Republican leaders are equally determined to try to force a vote.

"The majority party has successfully convinced people that that's something that takes a lengthy period of time," Paulsen said. "There's no reason it should have to take more than 30 minutes."
Even if Democrats refuse to call up a constitutional amendment for a vote, Republicans will take advantage of backup rules that allow for a vote if that's the desire of 51 representatives and 26 senators, said Sen. Steve Kettering, R-Lake View, the Senate minority whip. It's unclear whether they can muster the votes to pull off such a maneuver.

Lawmakers will still address some topics they realize aren't priorities for Iowans, McCarthy said.

"We're a citizens legislature," McCarthy said. "Legislators bring their passions with them to the Capitol. One legislator's throwaway issue is another legislator's must-do."
For example, payday loan reform is a low priority for Iowans, according to the poll, but a high priority for a few legislators. McCarthy said the Legislature probably won't pass a law this session to rein in the expensive, quick-cash loans.

Some lawmakers are passionate about protecting puppies, and a bill that would increase inspections of dog breeders is "extremely likely" to become law, McCarthy said.

One respondent, retired teacher Judy Guderian, 62, said dog abuse is disgusting, but she's not sure how big this problem is among Iowa breeders. "We so desperately need to concentrate and work together on other issues that put people back to work," said Guderian, who is a moderate independent.
However, it's crucial that lawmakers crack down on distracted driving, Guderian said. A girl chatting on a cell phone drove through a stop sign and rammed into her father's car two years ago when he was 88, she said.

She also said lawmakers should make time to open the door for a statewide vote on gay marriage. "Let's just get it settled," she said. "I'm tired of hearing about it."
Drivers' attention rated most urgent issue in poll
The Iowa Poll asked Iowans if they thought certain issues deserve the Legislature's limited time this session.

DRIVING AND TEXTING
POLL RESULTS: Deserves time, 72 percent. Doesn't deserve time, 28 percent.
PROS AND CONS: Law enforcement officials have told lawmakers there are three kinds of driver distractions: those that take eyes off the wheel, those that take hands off the wheel, and those that take the mind off driving. Texting does all three, they said. But some lawmakers think a ban would be difficult to enforce.
BILLS PROPOSED: Drivers in Iowa could not send, read or write texts, e-mails or instant messages using cell phones, personal digital assistants or any other electronic device, under Senate Study Bill 3070.
WILL THIS BECOME LAW? Lawmakers appear to prefer a ban on texting only, not cell phone use or other distractions. "Text messages we're likely to address, yes," said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines. Senate Minority Whip Steve Kettering, R-Lake View, said: "Distracted driving's time maybe has come. We looked at it last year, but there was considerable opposition. Maybe there's been enough occurrences with accidents and texting that Iowans want to address it."

GAY MARRIAGE
POLL RESULTS: Deserves time, 36 percent. Doesn't deserve time, 62 percent. Unsure, 2 percent.
PROS AND CONS: The Iowa Supreme Court ruled in April 2009 that basic fairness and constitutional equal protection require that gay and lesbian couples be allowed to marry. Some Iowans now want to amend the Iowa Constitution to specify that marriage is between one man and one woman.
BILLS PROPOSED: Three resolutions call for such an amendment: House Joint Resolution 6, House Joint Resolution 2001 and Senate Joint Resolution 2001. If they were to pass, the measure would require a second vote by the next General Assembly before it reaches a statewide ballot.
WILL ANY COME UP FOR A VOTE? No, Democratic leaders won't call them up, McCarthy said. Republican leaders will try to skirt that problem by rounding up a majority of legislators in each chamber to force a vote, Kettering said.

PUPPY MILLS
POLL RESULTS: Deserves time, 38 percent. Doesn't deserve time, 56 percent. Unsure, 6 percent.
PROS AND CONS: Veterinarians last year showed lawmakers photos of dogs with matted fur, fleas, blackened teeth or crippled legs from lengthy confinements in breeders' cages. Some licensed breeders protested that those problems crop up in only a small segment of the industry, usually with unlicensed breeders.
BILLS PROPOSED: Both breeders and shelters would have to pay an annual fee to cover state inspections of animals' food, water, grooming, shelter and sanitary conditions, under House File 2280. Violations for a licensed breeder would be $500 a day, while someone without a license would be fined $1,000 a day.
WILL THIS BECOME LAW? McCarthy said lawmakers will be spared a lengthy battle on the topic because a compromise has been reached between dog breeders and animal rights advocates. "The odds are extremely likely it will become law," he said.

GUN CONTROL
POLL RESULTS: Deserves time, 40 percent. Doesn't deserve time, 58 percent. Unsure, 2 percent.
PROS AND CONS: Sheriffs statewide would have to follow identical rules for issuing a permit to carry a concealed weapon, which gun advocates want. The Iowa Sheriffs' and Deputies' Association is registered against the bill, which would strip sheriffs of discretion to deny a permit for any reason.
BILLS PROPOSED: House File 2255 was filed by 44 Republicans and Democrats in the House.
WILL THIS BECOME LAW? McCarthy said: "Members of both parties are working on legislation now to see if there's consensus on standardization of concealed weapons permits."

PAYDAY LOANS
POLL RESULTS: Deserves time, 40 percent. Doesn't deserve time, 54 percent. Unsure, 6 percent.
PROS AND CONS: Payday loans mean quick cash for Iowans, even those with bad credit who can't get a bank loan. Consumer advocates say the loans are a rip-off because debtors can end up paying annual interest rates as high as 400 percent.
BILLS PROPOSED: The annual interest rate couldn't exceed 36 percent under House File 2127, filed by 34 House Democrats.
WILL THIS BECOME LAW? "It will be more challenging to find consensus on that issue," McCarthy said.

GAMBLING
POLL RESULTS: Deserves time, 42 percent. Doesn't deserve time, 57 percent. Unsure, 1 percent.
PROS AND CONS: The state would reap millions from taxing extra gambling activity. But Iowans would lose millions in failed bets, which gambling treatment experts say would lead to debt, broken families, suicides and other social ills.
BILLS PROPOSED: If a federal ban on sports betting is ever lifted, Senate File 2129 would let Iowa casinos offer wagering on professional sports such as baseball. If lawmakers agree to let Iowa's two racetrack casinos off the hook for subsidizing greyhound racing, the casinos would pay the state about $70 million over seven years. And casinos could hold big poker tournaments and avoid a referendum every eight years under another proposal.
WILL THIS BECOME LAW? The poker tournaments bill is the most likely to become law, partly because key Democratic leaders support it.