CO Alarm Bill Heads to Iowa Governor

It's one step away from being law.

Wednesday, the Senate approved an amended version of a bill requiring carbon monoxide alarms in rental properties and private homes by July 2018.

Senate file 2219 passed 36-14, with bipartisan support.

Here's how the bill would work. It calls for voluntary compliance for private homeowners. It's a different story for rental units. There, the alarms would be checked as part of regular inspections.

Sen. Jeff Danielson (D-Cedar Falls) is the bill's manager. He's a fulltime firefighter, besides lawmaker.

Danielson said the goal is to make CO alarms as common as fire detectors.

“It makes me proud that we have an opportunity to save lives,” Danielson said, “by making sure that every place that Iowans sleep and live, there's a chance at least, to detect CO."

Danielson estimates carbon monoxide poisoning kills about 20 Iowans each year.

The bill will now head to Gov. Terry Branstad who must sign it for the legislation to become law.