(Radio Iowa) – House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans in the Iowa House will seek longer prison sentences for people who’ve previously been convicted of violent crimes. “As we’ve seen lawlessness take over some of these cities across the country, I think it’s something we need to be serious about,” Grassley says. “That’s something Iowans expect from us, is to have safe places to raise a kid.”

Grassley points to the man accused of stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee to death on a train in North Carolina in August. The man had over a dozen prior arrests and had served five years in prison for armed robbery. “As a parent of somebody the same age as this girl, I don’t want to live in a place where I have to worry about these types of things,” Grassley says. Grassley says violent offenders with a laundry list of past criminal behavior should face longer prison sentences — with no leeway for judges or parole boards to reduce the prison term.

“Making sure that those individuals that are continuous career criminals, especially focused on the violent type of offenders, we’re going to make sure this is not a place that they want to live,” Grassley says. “You should not come to Iowa and think you can have a long track record and a criminal history and that there’s not going to be a consequence for that.”

Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison is working on the details of an anti-crime package, which he says will be focused on habitual violent offenders. “We have some mandatory sentencing and things like that in Iowa, but I just heard recently from county attorneys about an individual who received a 20 year prison sentence and was let out after one year,” Holt says. “That’s 1/20th of the prison sentence.”

Under current Iowa law, someone previously convicted of two serious felonies may be charged as a habitual offender, which brings a longer prison sentence and the person isn’t eligible for parole until they’ve spent at least three years in prison. Holt says the legislation under development may address those considered a threat to public safety who’ve committed lesser crimes.

“Requiring mandatory sentences so that these people cannot get back out on the street. I think the old adage that you often hear that 10% of the people commit 90% of the crimes is true and we need to do whatever we need to do to keep those people behind bars,” Holt said. “It’s not just about rehabilitation. It’s also about paying a debt to society and making sure justice is served.” Holt says legislation should be ready for debate early in the 2026 legislative session, which begins Monday, January 12th.