(Radio Iowa) — After a short and somber debate, a Senate committee has advanced a priority from what Governor Kim Reynolds has called her “Second Chance” agenda — a proposed constitutional amendment to automatically restore a released felon’s voting rights. Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, says she believes in second chances, but she urged her colleagues to vote against the proposal.

“While forgiveness is admirable, can the debt to our society ever truly be repaid by a prison sentence when a life has been taken, or a child’s innocence be stolen, when sexual brutality is allowed?” Sinclair’s passionate speech began with a reference to her “personal experiences” as a crime victim.

“Consider the victims who can never be fully repaid,” Sinclair said, “the families of those who people whose lives were snuffed out by violent felons.” Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, began speaking a few moments later and started with condolences to Sinclair, followed by an argument for giving paroled felons the right to vote.

“What we’re trying to do is not create outliers where they’re not connected back to the community,” Bisignano said. Bisignano says the proposal will be of benefit to a group of felons sent to prison for drug and property crimes.  “We need to do this for a lot of innocent young people who just screwed up from 18 to 25,” he said. Bisignano and the other Democrats on the committee supported the governor’s plan. Four Republicans, including Sinclair, opposed it.

The proposed constitutional amendment is now eligible for debate in the full senate next week.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI-TV) — Health officials are reporting eight more deaths from the coronavirus in Iowa and 345 new positive cases. The Iowa Department of Public Health said the news cases bring the statewide total to 21,438 as of Saturday morning. There have now been 597 deaths.

KCCI reports that 299 patients currently are hospitalized, with 102 listed in intensive care and 62 on ventilators. There were 23 patients admitted in the last 24 hours. Hospitalization data continues to show flat or downward trends since an apparent peak around May.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI-TV) — A 21-year-old man has been arrested in a shooting death last week in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports that Dayquawne Gates was booked Friday night into the Polk County Jail, where he is being held without bond. He’s charged with first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Robert Freeman. Officers found Freeman laying in a front yard last week. He later died at a hospital. Detectives said they have video and firearm-related evidence linking Gates to the killing.

(Radio Iowa) — A Dubuque man will spend more than 11 years in prison on child pornography charges. Thirty-seven-year-old Mark Curtis Junior pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, and once count of transportation of child pornography. Court information disclosed that Curtis had searched the internet for images and videos of child pornography.

He downloaded some 25-thousand images that depicted children ranging in age from infants to pre-teens. He was sentenced to 139 months in federal prison.