Iowa Open Records Law

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Contents

State sunshine
State laws
How to ask for records
Transparency headlines
Statutory changes
Notable FOIA requests
State Open Meeting Laws
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases
E-mail access
Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal


The Iowa Open Records Law is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Iowa. The law was first enacted in 1967.

The Iowa Open Meetings Law legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted.

[edit] Iowa's transparency report card

A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Iowa #26 in the nation with an overall percentage of 51.80%. [1]

A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Iowa 53 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 20 out of the 50 states.[2]

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Iowa's law as the 23rd best in the country, giving it a letter grade of "C-".[3]

[edit] Public Records

"Every person shall have the right to examine and copy a public record and to publish or otherwise disseminate a public record or the information contained in a public record."[4]

[edit] Open Meetings

"This chapter seeks to assure, through a requirement of open meetings of governmental bodies, that the basis and rationale of governmental decisions, as well as those decisions themselves, are easily accessible to the people. Ambiguity in the construction or application of this chapter should be resolved in favor of openness."[5]

[edit] Proposed changes

See also: Proposed reforms in state sunshine laws, 2009
  • House File 74 [6] An Act relating to the establishment of a searchable budget database website for the public to access the details of the expenditure of state tax revenues and a searchable tax rate database for the public to access the details of each tax rate for all taxing districts in the state.
  • Senate Study Bill 1231 [7] "Members of the Senate State Government Committee voted 10-5 Wednesday to approve a measure containing provisions enhancing Iowa’s “sunshine” laws pertaining to public disclosure of out-of-court settlements and charitable donations to public foundations." [8]
  • Senate File 161 [9] would create an Iowa public information board which would hear citizen complaints regarding government compliance with the open records law, and be empowered to enforce compliance. [10]

[edit] Who May Request Iowa Records?

Anyone may request public records in Iowa. "Every person shall have the right to examine and copy public records". [11]

For requester residency requirements in other states, see the list of who can make public record requests by state.

[edit] Relevant legal cases

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Integrity Index available for download here
  2. ↑ Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, 2007
  3. ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
  4. ↑ Iowa Code 22.2
  5. ↑ Iowa Code 21.1
  6. ↑ Text and Status of HF74
  7. ↑ Text of SB1231
  8. ↑ Legislature looking at strengthening public records law, The Gazette, February 26, 2009
  9. ↑ Text & Status of SF161
  10. ↑ Enforce Iowans' access to government, Des Moines Register, March 8, 2009
  11. ↑ Iowa Code, 22.2(1)
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