Senate panel advances bill to drop Iowa City archive mandate, setting up fight over State Historical Society

DES MOINES — An Iowa Senate subcommittee on Tuesday advanced a Department of Administrative Services bill aimed at eliminating the Iowa Code requirement that the state maintain a historical research center in Iowa City — teeing up a legislative fight over whether the State Historical Society of Iowa can permanently close its Iowa City archives.

Senate Study Bill 3033 would strike from state law a requirement that Iowa maintain historical resource research centers in both Des Moines and Iowa City. Under current statute, the department is required to maintain research centers in the two cities. The proposed bill would remove the Iowa City requirement, leaving Des Moines as the only location explicitly mandated in law.

The filing comes amid a legal and political fight over the State Historical Society of Iowa’s decision to close its 168-year-old Iowa City research center and relocate collections to Des Moines — a move that sparked backlash from historians, researchers, donors and elected officials.

Sen. Carrie Koelker, R-Dyersville, and Jeff Reichman, R-Montrose, signed off on advancing the bill to the full Senate State Government Committee to continue the conversation, with a pledge to amend it. Sen. Art Staed, D-Cedar Rapids, declined to sign off on the bill.

“I got lots of emails and good rationale for keeping it in Iowa City, and I’m going to be a ‘No,’” Staed said.

Koelker said she was moving the bill forward while acknowledging it remains politically charged and entangled in ongoing litigation.

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“I’m planning to sign this out today with a potential amendment to hear the conversation, see how the lawsuit goes along, and then we can continue this conversation,” she said.

Closure announcement, injunction and lawsuits

The bill stems from a June 17 announcement that the State Historical Society of Iowa would permanently close its Iowa City research facility and archives at the end of the year.

The closure announcement prompted a group of 17 petitioners to sue the state in Johnson County District Court. A judge issued a temporary injunction preventing the state from removing additional materials from the Iowa City center while the dispute proceeds.

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The judge also instructed the petitioners to seek a declaratory order from DAS. The department later determined it had not violated the law, arguing the code does not define “research center.” The case remains in litigation.

Meanwhile, DAS entered into a short-term agreement with the University of Iowa to provide access to historical records in Iowa City, while pushing legislation to strike the Iowa City mandate from state law.

Dueling bills

While the Senate bill would remove the Iowa City requirement, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a competing measure in the Iowa House intended to ensure historical centers remain staffed and open in both Des Moines and Iowa City.

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner, of Iowa City, told the subcommittee she plans to file a companion bill in the Senate.

“This to me is a cart before horse issue,” Weiner said. “There were budgetary decisions made at the end of last session. There was no discussion in the relevant subcommittee of cutting this building. There was no discussion within the legislature. We need legislative oversight over this. We deserve that.”

Weiner called the collections “the patrimony of every single Iowan.”

DAS: Closure is budget-driven

DAS officials told lawmakers the proposed change is necessary to align state law with what the agency says it cannot afford to operate.

“This decision was a fiscal decision. We can’t support with our budget the center in Iowa City and the center here in Des Moines,” said Nathan Reckman, DAS deputy director and general counsel.

Reckman said DAS believes it can still comply with current law through its agreement with the University of Iowa.

“We do have an agreement with the University of Iowa that they will serve as our research center,” Reckman said. “So we are going to abide by the law.”

He said the agency’s long-term plan is to move materials to Des Moines, create better cataloging and increase online accessibility statewide.

“One of our issues right now is the items in Iowa City are all cataloged in the card catalog that you have to be on site to get,” he said.

Reckman also pushed back on criticism about transparency.

“We have a website that details the things that have been moved from Iowa City to Des Moines,” he said. “I can tell you where all those things are. We are willing to answer any questions anybody has. We are being as transparent as possible.”

Opponents: Closure threatens public access to unique materials

Opponents of the bill told lawmakers the closure violates both the letter and intent of state law, breaks faith with donors and threatens public access to unique materials that are not duplicated elsewhere.

Jim Obradovich, speaking on behalf of Save Iowa History, argued the state acted first and is now trying to change the law to justify it.

“I think we have to realize the law is clear,” Obradovich said. “Current Iowa Code says that there has to be a facility in Des Moines and one in Iowa City. And the department went and unilaterally closed the Iowa City facility.”

Obradovich urged lawmakers to wait for courts to resolve the dispute.

Mary Bennett, one of the 17 petitioners in the Johnson County lawsuit and an organizer of a petition drive to keep the facility open, told lawmakers the decision was made without sufficient transparency.

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“I’m opposed to a unilateral decision like behind closed doors by a group of bureaucrats at the top level who did not consult with the experts,” Bennett told lawmakers.

Bennet disputed the idea that the collections are redundant and warned the state lacks capacity to absorb materials in Des Moines.

“It's an honor to celebrate our state. I was indoctrinated as a young person to protect these materials,” she said. “It's outrageous to me that this plan has unfolded without more careful consideration.”

University of Iowa archivist emeritus David McCartney framed the dispute as an obligation to donors and communities who entrusted irreplaceable collections to the state.

“This is a matter of trust,” McCartney said. “It’s a matter of obligation that the state has to the people who support the state.”

He warned that changing the law after collections were donated could chill future contributions.

Preservation, tax credits and research impacts

Several speakers emphasized how the Iowa City archives support historic preservation projects, scholarship and community history efforts statewide.

Historic preservation consultant Will Page, of Des Moines, told lawmakers that successful applications for state historic preservation tax credits often require detailed research tied to the collections housed in Iowa City.

“Without them, I fear that historic preservation and its economic benefits will be severely impacted in this state,” he said.

Iowa author Dave Baker said he relied on resources in both Des Moines and Iowa City to complete his research and warned that reducing access will “turn people off” from researching the state’s history.

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Baker urged lawmakers to reject the bill, saying that while he understands the desire to save money, “there's got to be other ways” — and that failing to fund the Historical Society signals history isn’t a state priority.

Koelker raises taxpayer fairness questions

Koelker, while acknowledging “history is important to Iowa,” said she wants answers about costs and who should bear them — including whether organizations storing materials in Iowa City contribute financially.

“Are they paying a storage fee or rental fee? Are they helping with the cost to keep the doors open at the center?” Koelker asked. After hearing the answer was no, she added: “There’s no rental fees for everyone that’s storing information there. I don’t know that that’s due diligence that just should fall on the Iowa taxpayer as well.”

Koelker also addressed concerns circulating publicly about whether collections would be harmed.

“I just want to make sure, too, that we’re not destroying information,” she said. “There’s some myth out there and misinformation out there that we’re just closing the doors and destroying all this information. That is not accurate.”

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com