The Iowa Senate unanimously approved language for a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to limit a defendant’s right to confront certain witnesses in court.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird proposed the amendment to restore the option for some child crime victims to testify in a trial through a video system from a separate room. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled last year that Iowa’s law allowing one-way video testimony, where the witness can’t see the defendant, is unconstitutional.
Sen. Matt Blake, D-Urbandale, says the amendment is needed to ensure kids don’t have to face their abusers in court.
“This is an essential fix that we need to have within the system.”
If the House also approves the language, the Legislature would have to pass it again after the 2026 election to get it on the ballot for Iowa voters to decide.