Capitol Notebook: Iowa congressional delegation to attend dignified transfer of National Guard soldiers

Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday alongside President Donald Trump to attend the dignified transfer of the two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed in an attack in Syria last week.

Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, were killed Saturday when a lone attacker, believed to be linked to the Islamic State terrorist group, opened fire near a military post in central Syria, according to U.S. officials. A U.S. civilian interpreter also was killed in the attack. Three additional Iowa Guard members were injured.

Howard and Torres-Tovar were members of the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, which is supporting U.S. military operations against the Islamic State in the Middle East.

A dignified transfer is a process to honor U.S. service members killed in action. During the process, the cases holding the remains of fallen soldiers are draped in an American flag and moved from the aircraft that brought them to Dover to a vehicle that transports them to the mortuary facility.

During a call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Republican Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley confirmed that he would attend the dignified transfer and added the country is “forever indebted to these men for their dedication and service, to Iowa and to our country.”

“My prayers are with the families of the loved ones, and I'm praying for the safety of their fellow soldiers as well,” Grassley said.

Other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, also will be in attendance. U.S. Rep Mariannette Miller-Meeks is planning to attend, but may face a scheduling conflict due to a Wednesday debate on a health care bill she is sponsoring.

Brenna Bird sues video game makers for exposing children to sexual exploitation

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has sued the online gaming company Roblox for failing to protect Iowa children from sexual exploitation.

The lawsuit, filed by Bird’s office in Polk County District Court, seeks financial damages and for the court to halt what the state alleges are violations of Iowa consumer protections.

Roblox is one of the most popular game platforms in the U.S., with an average of 112 million players logging in daily, according to the gaming company. Players of the free-to-play online game log in to play any of the millions of games created by other users, or to design their own. Players have the ability to chat during play via text or voice.

Many Roblox players are under 13 — roughly 40 percent, according to some estimates from gaming industry publications. Bird’s office says as many as two-thirds of U.S. children ages 9 to 12 have Roblox accounts.

Bird’s lawsuit claims Roblox has “failed to put basic safety controls in place and has intentionally concealed from Iowa parents the dangers their platform presents while allowing child exploitation, pornography, and extortion on its platform for years.”

“We will fight for our children. Roblox created a breeding ground for sexual predators, and Iowa’s children are paying the price,” Bird said in a press release. “Roblox must either make their game a safe place for children or stop doing business in our state. Parents must be told the truth so they can protect their children online from inappropriate material, grooming, exploitation, and other predatory practices.”

On its website, Roblox says it “provides rigorous built-in protections to help keep users safe.”

“We combine AI tools with 24/7 moderation teams and collaborate with law enforcement and child-safety experts to create a secure, age-appropriate environment for every user,” the site says. “Robust parental controls and strictly enforced policies work together to help everyone on Roblox play, create, and connect safely.”

Bird supports state regulation of worker pensions

An amicus brief from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird — joined by nine other states — defends states’ rights to regulate the transfer of companies' employee pensions to state-regulated insurance agencies.

A federal lawsuit brought by retirees of a company that had transferred its pension argues the federal government should regulate pension transfers to insurance companies.

Bird’s office says the lawsuit threatens to interfere with state regulation that “has proven exceptionally reliable.”

“Imposing more federal regulation of pensions is unnecessary and undermines the state’s authority and ability to continue to effectively protect retirees,” Bird said in a press release. “I’m asking the court to keep regulatory power where it belongs — with the states.”

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen supported Bird’s argument.

“Insurance companies have expertise in managing the long-term obligations of life insurance and annuities, and this translates very well to pension plans,” Ommen said in the press release. “State insurance regulators, such as the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services, have the expertise and experience to supervise this business. With this effective supervision, these pension risk transfers often provide significant advantages to the pension plans and the retirees.”

Joining the Iowa-led brief were Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.