1 day Ago By Maya Marchel Hoff [email protected]
Legislation adding new requirements to Iowa's open records laws was amended in the Senate Thursday to bar the public from accessing Iowa Capitol security camera footage, a move that critics say limits transparency in state government. After the Iowa House passed House File 706 last month, the Senate was the bill’s final hurdle before going to the governor for approval. The legislation would increase penalties for violating the state’s open meetings laws and require public information training for most public officials.
Now the amended legislation is going back to the House for final approval, with added provisions exempting Iowa Capitol building security camera footage and identification card access system data from open records requests. The bill’s House sponsor, Republican Rep. Gary Mohr of Bettendorf, introduced the legislation following the 2023 partial collapse of a building in downtown Davenport and a $1.
6 million departure agreement with Davenport's city administrator without a public council vote. Republican Rep. Gary Mohr, of Bettendorf, discusses a bill amending the state's open meetings laws on the Iowa House floor March 24, 2025.
Republican Sen. Scott Webster, of Bettendorf, the bill's Senate floor manager, said it would increase transparency while enhancing the safety of state lawmakers and legislative staff by not letting members of the public track their schedules by accessing key card data and security camera footage. “People there have been struggling and trying to find public information and been getting stonewalled day after day by a particular city, the city of Davenport, to not find the causes of that particular building collapse,” Webster said.
“This is for the safety of the members of the chamber, also the staff within the building, to make sure that we are not in a situation where somebody can track those particular people in their patterns in order to do them harm." Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, speaks during a legislative forum hosted by the Quad Cities Chamber Friday March 22, 2024, at the St.
Ambrose University campus. The bill would increase fines for public officials who do not follow the open meetings or records requirements from between $100 and $500 to between $500 and $2,500. The bill would increase damages if a violation was knowingly committed from between $1,000 and $2,500 to between $5,000 and $12,500.
Under the legislation, newly elected or appointed public officials would be required to complete public records training provided by the Iowa Public Information Board within 90 days of taking oath or assuming office. Democratic Sen. Janet Petersen, of Des Moines, said the amendment should have been vetted in subcommittee, saying that it’s changing the standards of what is an open record and creates a lack of transparency at the Capitol.
“They're (Iowans) paying the bill for this beautiful building. Why would we take public access away from them in an open meetings bill no less?” Petersen said. “To take away public access and say it's because of security? No, it's not.
In fact, I believe it makes every one of us in this building less safe. If some shenanigans happen out there in the rotunda at a protest, shouldn't the public be able to request those videos?” Webster added that if a crime is committed at the Iowa Capitol, the security camera footage would still be available to the public through subpoenas used in the court case. Democratic Sen.
Herman Quirmbach, of Ames, argued that the average citizen doesn’t have access to getting a subpoena. “The advocate for the amendment expressed concern about people being able to discover blind spots,” Quirmbach said. “The irony is lost on the supporters of the amendment that the amendment itself creates the biggest blind spot of all.
It darkens the public access to the ongoing functions of this legislature.” Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said making Capitol security camera footage and security card-reader data accessible to the public increases transparency and does not jeopardize people’s safety. “We certainly are mindful of the need for public safety.
No one wants to jeopardize anyone's safety at the Iowa Capitol,” Evans said “But in this case, the security camera footage from the Capitol should be subject to release. No one in the public spaces of a government building has an expectation that such video would not be subject to release upon request. If protesters act improperly and cause damage to the building or harm to its occupants, or if Capitol Police use force against interest groups gathering in the Capitol, that video should be available — just as video recorded by law officers is regularly released at the conclusion of appropriate investigations.
” Mohr originally introduced the legislation in 2024 in response to two events in Davenport. The first was the difficulty members of the public and media faced when seeking access to public records, including inspection reports, related to the 2023 partial building collapse in downtown Davenport. The second was when the city of Davenport approved a $1.
6 million departure agreement with its city administrator without a vote in front of the public. In 2023, Davenport agreed to pay former city administrator Corri Spiegel $1.6 million for lost wages and "emotional pain and suffering" due to harassment, bias and discrimination she said she received from elected officials.
Separations from Spiegel and other city officials cost the city around $2 million but proceedings were not held in front of the public, according to Mohr, who referred to the situation as the city “stonewalling the facts.” The Davenport City Council ratified the separation agreement in a public vote more than two months after the date of the agreement. The Davenport city attorney at the time argued it did not need a public vote as the council had consented to it.
Mohr said he worked with Senate lawmakers to pare down the amendment, which was originally broader, and is confident about its chances when it comes back to the House, and eventually, goes in front of the governor. He added that he’s happy to make tweaks to it in future sessions, but would like to see it passed this year. “This has been passed twice, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water,” Mohr told the Quad-City Times.
The legislation passed through the House and Senate in 2024 but was vetoed by Gov. Kim Reynolds over a Senate-added amendment that would’ve expanded exceptions to open meeting requirements. The amended version passed the Senate 34-13 on Thursday.
Democratic Sens. Cindy Winckler and Mike Zimmer, whose districts include parts of Scott County, voted against the amendment but joined Republicans in voting for final passage. Quad-City Times reporter Sarah Watson contributed to this report.
The building partially collapsed May 28, and the city ordered "immediate demolition" May 29. The messaging sparked backlash among residents who urged the city to continue searching for missing people. After search teams recovered the bodies of three men and cleared the scene of any more collapse victims last week, the city said this weekend increased dismantling activity would begin Monday.
By Tuesday, most of the north side of the building had come down. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Statehouse Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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