DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Senate passed the final version of a bill on Wednesday that would restrict the state auditor's ability to conduct audits.
Senate File 478 first passed the Iowa Senate in early March, before being amended by the Iowa House.
Now that senate has approved the amended version, Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to sign it into law.
State Auditor Rob Sand has repeatedly denounced the bill as it moved through the legislature.
“The bill is the greatest pro-corruption bill and the worst perversion of checks and balances in Iowa’s history because it lets state government hide documents from auditors, and ends judicial review of such decisions,” Sand said in a press release on Wednesday. “To eliminate checks and balances on power is an attack on democracy and an invitation to corruption.”
If signed into law, Senate File 478 would prevent the state auditor from accessing a number of records, including:
- Iowan's income tax returns
- Criminal files from police
- Personal information of students
- Hospital or medical records
- Peace officers' investigative reports
The bill would also make it illegal for the auditor's office to use the courts to challenge the governor's administration.
“This bill doesn’t just open the door to fraud and corruption, it blows it off of its hinges,” Sand said in the press release. “It allows governmental entities to hide records necessary to prove abuse of tax dollars and allows dishonest, double-dealing insiders to conceal their waste, fraud, and abuse.”
State Sen. Mike Bousselot claims the bill is designed to protect Iowans' personal information.
"You see, the watchdog still has teeth," Bousselot said on the senate floor.. It's just making sure that those teeth aren't getting sank in to something they shouldn't be in, which is Iowans' most personal and private information."
Bousselot also stated in a newsletter that the auditor would still have access to information deemed relevant to an audit, but said information would be de-identified.