SECRET COMPARTMENT BAN DEFEATED EASILY

Des Moines - Legislation that would make it a crime to have a secret
compartment in a vehicle for smuggling drugs was defeated Wednesday in a
Senate committee.

The Judiciary Committee tossed aside the proposal on a 9-0 vote. Earlier
this week, the House voted 90-4 in favor of the measure.

The bill would have made it a serious misdemeanor to possess, use or
control a false compartment in a vehicle with the intent to store, conceal,
smuggle or transport a controlled substance. The crime would have drawn a
maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,500 fine.

Senators said they were not comfortable with the bill, adding that it
amounts to a double charge for a single crime.