DES MOINES — The Iowa Senate approved tough new criminal penalties aimed at sex offenders Tuesday after Republican lawmakers put the brakes on their push to revive the death penalty.The bipartisan bill, approved 50-0, creates a life prison sentence for sex offenders who strike a second time and boosts the maximum penalty for lascivious acts with a child from five years to 10 years. The measure also expands multiple efforts to track, monitor and treat sex offenders.Republican leaders had vowed to add a death penalty provision to the bill — a move blocked by Senate Democrats. On Tuesday, GOP lawmakers abandoned their effort, fearing that a continued stalemate would jeopardize the sex-offender bill.Republicans promised to keep the issue alive in 2006, an election year.

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“I believe the majority of our folks want to make sure we have a tough law passed, and we’re going to do that,’’ said Senate Republican co-president Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny. “We’ll have (a death penalty) debate in the future.’’Lawmakers are targeting sex offenders in response to the killing, rape and alleged kidnapping of 10-year-old Jetseta Gage of Cedar Rapids last month. A convicted sex offender has been charged in her death.“This has been a difficult few weeks for the Legislature. But I would submit it’s been a more difficult 40 days for a family in Cedar Rapids that lost a 10-year-old daughter,’’ said Sen. Larry McKibben, R-Marshalltown.In the wake of the case, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said the state is doing too little to punish sex offenders and to track their whereabouts. They also argued too many sex offenders are leaving prison without undergoing treatment.House lawmakers approved a bill that would force some offenders to wear electronic monitoring devices while also denying early release from prison for sexual predators who refuse to undergo treatment.The Senate added several provisions to the House bill Tuesday.In addition to the tougher penalties, offenders convicted of lascivious acts would face lifetime supervision requirements after release. Most other sex offenders would see supervision expanded.Senators also voted to require law enforcement agencies to do more to inform the public, schools, preschools and victims when sex offenders move in nearby.Under the bill, all felons and sex offenders in Iowa would submit DNA samples for a statewide database. And single parents of minor children who knowingly move in, or “cohabitate,’’ with a registered sex offender could face child endangerment charges.Senate passage sends the bill back to the House. Republican leaders said they will take up the bill next week. Todd Dorman can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or at todd.dorman@lee.net.