Capitol Notebook: Iowa House Democrats question GOP’s report on erroneous distribution of $27.5M in court fees

DES MOINES — A report on the misallocation of $27.5 million in Iowa court fees, authored by Iowa House Republicans and issued earlier this week, “overstates both the nature and the impact” of the error, “selectively assigns responsibility,” and “relies on emotionally charged rhetoric,” according to a counter report issued Wednesday by Iowa House Democrats.

According to an Iowa Judicial Branch investigation released in 2024, a coding error caused the erroneous allocations over a span of four years.

In Iowa, funds paid to the courts in the form of fines, fees and penalties in criminal cases are distributed to various sources, including state funds for victim compensation, emergency services, road infrastructure, county attorneys and the state’s general fund.

Under the state’s distribution system, clerks of courts enter court fees into a coding program that is supposed to channel those funds to the proper source. The Iowa Judicial Branch said in 2024 that coding errors sent millions of dollars in fees to the wrong sources.

Iowa House Republicans conducted an Oversight Committee hearing on the topic last year and this week published a report in which they recommended an independent audit, additional oversight for Iowa Judicial Branch financial operations, and a new state law that would require immediate notification of the governor, legislative leaders and state auditor whenever a state entity discovers a potential misallocation of funds over $100,000.

House Republicans’ report criticized the Judicial Branch for not notifying other state entities sooner and Iowa Auditor Rob Sand’s office for not taking quicker action when notified by the judicial branch.

House Democrats’ report, issued Wednesday, pushes back on Republicans’ assertions. Democrats in their report called the misallocation of millions “a serious administrative failure that did not get the full investigation it deserves” and blamed statehouse Republicans for what they consider a lack of “a proper and full investigation.”

Iowa-Taiwan relationship celebrated

Legislators in both chambers read resolutions honoring Iowa’s sister state relationship with Taiwan.

Earlier this month, the countries announced a trade deal under which Taiwan will invest $250 billion on U.S. products including computer chips, artificial intelligence applications and energy, according to the Associated Press.

According to the resolution, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te recently announced that between 2025 and 2028 the country plans to increase its agricultural purchases to $10 billion.

Dennis Lei, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, was at the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday as the resolutions were read and approved by legislators. Lei told The Gazette that his country enjoys a great trade relationship with the U.S. and Iowa, and that he hopes Taiwan’s relationship with Iowa continues to grow beyond agriculture and include business, technology and education.

“We want to expand these kind of relations,” Lei said. “Iowa is our truly good friend.”

House passes bill banning local ID cards, like those in Johnson County

Local identification programs used in places like Johnson County could be eliminated under a bill passed by the Iowa House — a move supporters say would cut off a practical tool many residents rely on to access everyday services.

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House File 2296, which cleared the chamber on a 69-22 party-line vote with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed, would prohibit cities and counties from issuing community identification cards.

Programs such as the Johnson County Community ID have operated for years, serving immigrants, domestic violence survivors and others who may lack state-issued identification. While not valid for voting, boarding planes, buying alcohol or tobacco, or obtaining government benefits, supporters say the cards help residents interact with local businesses, schools, law enforcement and service providers.

Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, said the measure overrides decisions made at the community level.

“This program has been around for 10 years,” Levin said. “I have received dozens of positive stories from law enforcement, from social services, from local businesses and from community members about how impactful this program has been.”

Rep. Eric Gjerde, a Cedar Rapids Democrat and patrol officer, offered an amendment aimed at addressing Republican concerns by allowing local IDs labeled as not valid for official identification.

“My amendment simply makes it very clear that a county may issue an identification card … if the identification card says, ‘this card is not intended to serve as an official identifying document,’” Gjerde said.

Republicans rejected the amendment.

Gjerde also pointed to his experience in law enforcement, arguing that any form of identification can be critical in identifying people in emergency situations.

“I identify people oftentimes by a driver’s license … but many people do not have them,” he said. “So oftentimes I revert to a name on a credit card or a debit card or a library card or a YMCA card.”

Rep. Mike Vondran, R-Davenport, the bill’s floor manager, said eliminating community-issued identification cards and standardizing personal identification to state-issued IDs “will strengthen public safety, administrative efficiency and legal clarity for all Iowans.”

Vondran said the current “patchwork” of local IDs issued by cities and counties creates confusion for law enforcement, employers and service providers, and undermines reliable identity verification.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

House passes elections bill removing voter attestation option

Some Iowa voters who lack an accepted form of identification would no longer be able to rely on a neighbor or caregiver to vouch for them at the polls under an elections bill approved Wednesday by the Iowa House, a change Democrats say could make it harder for certain voters — particularly elderly Iowans — to cast a ballot.

Lawmakers approved the measure on a 67-25 party-line vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed, after adopting an amendment from Rep. Austin Harris, R-Moulton, that removed a long-standing provision allowing a registered voter in a precinct to attest to another voter’s identity on Election Day.

Under current Iowa Code, a registered voter who cannot present an approved ID may still vote a regular ballot if another registered voter in the same precinct signs a sworn oath attesting to their identity and residency.

The oath explicitly warns that any false statement is a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines ranging from $750 to $7,500.

Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said the change would disproportionately affect older voters and those who no longer drive.

“In my home county, 37 Iowans used attesters to register and vote on Election Day in 2024,” Zabner said. “ … Most of those Iowans were older Iowans, elderly folks who had lost their driver's license or their ability to drive and didn't have the correct ID, and it was family members and caretakers who were testing for them. I think it's really important that every Iowan’s voice be heard in our elections.”

Zabner argued that while the number is small, the voters affected are among the most vulnerable, and noted that attesters must sign a legal affidavit and can be held liable for false information.

Republicans countered that Iowa already provides safeguards to ensure access while strengthening election security.

Harris said voters without ID can still cast a provisional ballot and later “cure” it, and noted that the state automatically issues voter ID cards to registered voters who lack an Iowa driver’s license.

“This is just one more step for us to secure our elections and make sure people have faith and trust that the results are accurate,” Harris said.

The legislation also makes several administrative updates to Iowa’s election system:

Democrats maintained that, despite administrative improvements, the removal of voter attestation represents a step backward for voter access.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Bill changes ‘pregnant person’ to ‘pregnant female’ in Iowa code

The Iowa House on Wednesday approved legislation to replace references to “pregnant person” in state law with “pregnant female.”

The bill, House File 2253, passed 68-22 along party lines, with Democrats opposed.

The proposal makes technical changes across Iowa Code, updating language in sections related to health care, criminal law and other statutes.

Republicans said the change is intended to standardize wording across state law. Floor manager Rep. Devon Wood, R-New Market, said consistent terminology is important for clarity in medical and legal contexts.

“Having scientifically accurate terminology and making sure that those terms are consistent throughout our medical and our criminal and potential assault codes … is important to the health and safety of Iowans,” Wood said.

Democrats criticized the bill as unnecessary and exclusionary.

Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, argued the change adopts medically inaccurate language and disregards the existence of intersex individuals.

House Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, said the bill fails to address more pressing concerns.

“We’re spending a bunch of time on bills that don’t matter to the people of Iowa,” Meyer said. “They’re concerned about affordability, education and making Iowa the best place to live and raise a family.”

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

House passes ‘drug-free zone’ bill for homeless service sites

Areas surrounding homeless shelters and supportive housing facilities in Iowa would become enhanced “drug-free zones,” with tougher criminal penalties for drug activity and new requirements for providers, under a bill passed by the Iowa House on Wednesday.

House File 2584 cleared the chamber on a 70-20 vote, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.

The legislation creates “drug-free homeless service zones” extending 300 feet around facilities that receive government funding to provide shelter or housing services to people experiencing homelessness.

Under the bill, individuals caught selling or attempting to sell controlled substances within those zones would face stricter penalties. The measure also establishes penalties for operators of homeless service facilities who knowingly or intentionally allow drug use or possession on their premises. Violations would be charged as an aggravated misdemeanor, and operators convicted could be barred from receiving state homelessness assistance funding for three years.

Facilities covered by the law would be required to post permanent signage in English and Spanish identifying the area as a “drug-free homeless service zone,” though an amendment exempts certain locations, including domestic violence and children’s shelters, from signage requirements.

Republicans said the bill is designed to protect vulnerable individuals seeking help.

Floor manager Rep. Bill Gustoff, R-Des Moines, said the measure targets those “who would prey on them by pushing drugs” near shelters, while holding providers accountable if they knowingly allow illegal activity.

“This does not target individuals experiencing homelessness,” Gustoff said. “It protects the homeless from those who would come in and push drugs in a facility that’s supposed to be a safe place.”

An amendment also clarified that the law applies to illegal drug transfers, not legitimate medical activity such as prescriptions delivered by pharmacists or administered by doctors, and ensures operators are penalized only upon conviction.

Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, said the proposal could discourage providers from operating or continuing services.

“This bill is going to hurt services. It is going to increase homelessness in Iowa, and it is going to decrease homeless services in Iowa,” Levin said.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

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