It’s admirable when a bill is created, go through the channels, passed, and signed into law. The intent of passing a bill to prevent a tragedy, fix a problem, or create a new idea that could benefit the citizens. With that said, naming a bill after a someone is not the best way to honor them and it gets in the way of what the bill was designed for. State Representative Rick Olson submitted a fake amendment to a bill to prove that point.
We have the Amber Alert, the “Ed Thomas” bill, and so many bills that are named for people. Is it to remind people about a law, or is it for publicity? I have always admired Coach Thomas because of his accomplishments in Iowa high school athletics and as an individual who was everything that we strive to be.
But I fear that his name be synonymous to a bill and nothing else. We know what an Amber Alert is, but who was “Amber” that propelled the national abduction alert system? Do we know what the Ed Thomas bill really is?
It’s admirable to honor someone, but let’s not get into the habit of putting a “name” on every bill. It clouds who the person was and it clouds what the bill is.
Civility Is Not Dead...Yet 