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Member Profile

Clel Baudler

Board Member

Clel Baudler

Board Member

Biography

Clel Baudler served as an Iowa state trooper for 32 years before retiring to focus on farming. He was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1998 and currently serves as the Ranking Member of the House Public Safety Committee.


All Statements (15 total)

Statements by Category (15 total)

  • Animal Rights
    During debate in the Iowa legislature over whether to enhance criminal penalties for animal neglect (the harshest penalty at the time was an aggravated misdemeanor, even for an individual who tortures an animal) in April 2015, Baudler told KCCI in Des Moines: "Do you think that idiot is going to stop kicking the hell out of his dog if there is a penalty out there even to the point of hanging him? No, he's not. I think the judges have to step up." Tom Colvin, the director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, pointed out to KCCI that Iowa was ranked as the 49th worst state for animal laws by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

    Sources [1]

  • Animal Rights
    In February 2015, Baudler voted against a bill in the Iowa House that would have made it a misdemeanor offense to wound, kill, trap, capture or collect a cougar/mountain lion. Mountain lions are increasingly rare in the state. There have been only 19 confirmed sightings of the animals in Iowa since 1995, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Additionally, Mountain lions are responsible for fewer than 20 recorded deaths in North America over the last 100 years. Baudler was unswayed, stating, "When you’re out walking Fluffy—mountain lions love Fluffy, they do. I have a big problem with your bill.”  

    Sources [1]

  • Vigilantism
    On May 7, 2014, Baudler was asked by the Des Moines Register if he carries a handgun (concealed) at the Iowa state Capitol. "It is a great rumor," he responded. "I have laughed about it a lot."

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements
    During Iowa's 2014 legislative session, Baudler offered an amendment in the Iowa House that would have allowed children between the ages of 0-14 to possess and shoot handguns with adult supervision.  

    Sources [1]

  • Vigilantism
    In September 2013, CBS News asked Baudler if he was concerned about blind Iowa residents obtaining permits to carry a concealed handgun in public under a "Shall Issue" law that he had supported and helped to pass. Baudler said he wasn't concerned because the blind, like other Iowa residents, are required to undergo a background check and complete a firearms training course before obtaining a permit. They are not, however, required to do a live-fire test to actually demonstrate proficiency with a firearm during that training.

    Sources [1]

  • Vigilantism
    In May 2013, it was revealed that more than 50 sex offenders has obtained permits to carry a concealed handgun in Iowa under a "Shall Issue" law enacted by the state in 2010. Baudler, who was an ardent supporter of the "Shall Issue" bill, opposed doing anything to change the law to bar sex offenders from obtaining permits, stating the issue was too "emotionally charged" in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school in December 2012. Instead, he encouraged sheriffs to deny permits if they felt it necessary and then fight the case(s) in court. "If I was a sheriff and you're a registered sex offender, I'd look at what you were found guilty of and I would have no problem saying, 'You might be eligible [under the law to get a permit], but you're going to have to sue me to get it. I'll see you in an administrative hearing and we'll bring this out in public if that's what you want,'" Baudler said.

    Sources [1]

  • Women's Rights
    In May 2013, it was revealed that more than 50 sex offenders has obtained permits to carry a concealed handgun in Iowa under a "Shall Issue" law enacted by the state in 2010. Baudler, who was an ardent supporter of the "Shall Issue" bill, opposed doing anything to change the law to bar sex offenders from obtaining permits, stating the issue was too "emotionally charged" in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school in December 2012. Instead, he encouraged sheriffs to deny permits if they felt it necessary and then fight the case(s) in court. "If I was a sheriff and you're a registered sex offender, I'd look at what you were found guilty of and I would have no problem saying, 'You might be eligible [under the law to get a permit], but you're going to have to sue me to get it. I'll see you in an administrative hearing and we'll bring this out in public if that's what you want,'" Baudler said.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In the wake of the February 26, 2012 killing of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, Baudler voiced support Iowa’s version of Florida's controversial “Stand Your Ground” law. The “Stand Your Ground” law, known by critics as “Kill At Will” or “Shoot First,” was harshly criticized after the Martin killing by opponents who contended that the law condones vigilantism and unjustifiable murder. In defense of “Stand Your Ground,” Baudler pointed to an Iowa case where a man used a handgun to defend himself from an unprovoked attack by two individuals. He was charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon and going armed with intent, but acquitted of all charges. Baudler vowed to bring back Iowa’s “Stand Your Ground” bill each legislative session until it is passed. “I think when everything cools down [concerning the killing of Trayvon Martin], we will get it through some day, some year,” he said. “If we don’t, I trust the voters to put the right people in office to do the right thing for Iowans, not Floridians or Californians, but the right thing for Iowa.”

    Sources [1]

  • Republican Party (GOP)

    Responding to plans by Occupy Wall Street protestors to hold non-violent demonstrations in conjunction with the January 3, 2011 Iowa presidential caucuses, Baudler, who is a Republican member of Iowa’s state legislature, told protesters to expect a response that “will be swift and it will be sure.” He went on to add, “Since I'm not a state trooper anymore, they probably won't be handcuffed - but I have friends. If an officer asks for help, I will help, believe me. We're just not going to tolerate in rural Iowa what's going on in the big metropolitan areas. A little thump therapy never hurt anybody.”

    Sources [1] [2]

  • Other Statements

    A September 5, 2011 article in the Des Moines Register indicated that Baudler supports the use of profiling at airports for “select passengers.”

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Between 2007 and 2009, Baudler was a sponsor of a proposed amendment to the Iowa Constitution that called for recognition by the state of only marriages between a man and a woman. It failed to pass.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In 2008, Baudler sponsored HF 2476, “A bill for an act prohibiting local legislation that prevents local government officials or employees from cooperating with federal officials with regard to the immigration status of persons within the state.” The legislation would have made local law enforcement officers and local government officials personally liable to civil actions if their jurisdictions enacted legislation that prevented local law enforcement from working with federal law enforcement on immigrant matters.

    Sources [1]

  • Vigilantism
    In 2007, Baudler introduced legislation in the Iowa House of Representatives that would have enacted a “Stand Your Ground” law nearly identical to Florida’s law.  The law would have abrogated the duty of an individual to retreat from a public confrontation if he could safely do so.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    In 2007, Baudler co-authored legislation that sought to prevent Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles locations from offering information in any language other than English. The bill failed to pass.

    Sources [1]

  • Other Statements

    Baudler once traveled to California and lied about a medical condition to obtain a prescription for medical marijuana in an apparent attempt to demonstrate that medical marijuana laws can be abused. In California it is illegal to lie about a medical condition to receive a prescription. Baudler claimed that he didn’t break any laws because he doubted the man he talked to (who he referred to as an “oriental”) was a real doctor, saying, “I wouldn't want to bet that guy had anymore than a high school degree in some other country.”

    Sources [1] [2] [3]

  • Other Statements

    In February 2008, Baudler authored and introduced HF 2187, “A bill for an act relating to bail restrictions imposed against a person who is an unauthorized alien.” The bill, which died in subcommittee, sought to require law enforcement to hold “unauthorized aliens” without bail if they were charged with any criminal offense. Such a law would be unconstitutional as applied to a person charged with a federal crime as the Eight Amendment provides, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Most U.S. states also have provisions barring excessive bail.

    Sources [1]