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Liz Ford drove from Sioux City to Des Moines to tell the story of her late husband, Troy, and advocate for a constitutional amendment to protect the rights of crime victims.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2015, Ford and her husband stopped to check on a man in a truck who appeared to be in medical distress. When the driver gained consciousness, Ford said, he grabbed the keys to the vehicle and ran over Ford\u2019s husband.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe intentionally ran over Troy with his truck and unloaded equipment trailer, tearing him completely apart,\u201d Ford said, pausing to compose herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ford said she \u201chad to fight every step of the way\u201d to stay informed about the legal proceedings against the driver, who served six years in jail and has since been released.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c(The criminal justice system) focuses on the offender, their rights \u2014 not ours,\u201d Ford said. \u201cWe the victims are not equal, have not been, and remain that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ford spoke on behalf of Marsy\u2019s Law, a proposal that would enshrine rights for crime victims into state constitutions. About 35 supporters gathered Monday morning to call on Iowa lawmakers to pass <\/span>House Study Bill 525,<\/span><\/a>which\u00a0would amend Iowa\u2019s constitution to delineate rights for crime victims. That includes the right to be notified and involved in justice proceedings against the defendant, and to be notified if they are granted parole or release. Victims would also have a constitutional right to restitution.<\/span><\/p>\n Rep. Marti Anderson spoke in favor of the proposal at the Monday morning event. She helped write the section of Iowa law that currently protects the rights of victims, but argued a more permanent solution was needed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy do we need a constitutional amendment? Because statutes can be changed with one vote of one legislature,\u201d Anderson, D-Des Moines, said. \u201cWe can\u2019t take that chance with these rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Anderson and other advocates for the change said 36 states have adopted a constitutional amendment on victims\u2019 rights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But some groups aren\u2019t sure the proposal should be added to Iowa\u2019s constitution.<\/span><\/p>\n Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, said adding Marsy\u2019s Law to the constitution would make it hard for lawmakers to make changes, if there are unintended consequences to the legislation. He said legislative staff research shows only about 10 states have adopted detailed language on victims\u2019 rights such as has been proposed for Iowa.<\/span><\/p>\n Holt led a subcommittee on the proposal last week, where lawmakers moved the bill to the full committee without recommendation to pass it. That keeps the bill alive for committee debate, but Holt said Monday he does not intend to advance it as it currently stands.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about whether we believe in victims\u2019 rights or not, of course we do,\u201d Holt told <\/span>editor Kathie Obradovich for a weekly column<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s about how that is handled, and where is most appropriate: code as opposed to constitution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n