House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans in the Iowa House plan to pursue legislation calling for longer prison sentences for people who have previously been convicted of violent crimes.
Grassley says the proposal is aimed at preventing the type of lawlessness seen in some U.S. cities from occurring in Iowa.
He pointed to a recent case in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a man with multiple prior arrests is accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a train in August.
Grassley says violent offenders with extensive criminal histories should face longer mandatory prison sentences, with no discretion for judges or parole boards to reduce those terms.
