State Auditor Rob Sand said one of his top legislative priorities this year is reversing a 2023 law that restricts the ability of the Auditor's Office to access certain types of personal information during an investigation.
At a news conference Monday, Sand said his proposals this year are oriented around preventing fraud and strengthening government oversight.
Sand, who is running for governor and is currently the only Democrat who holds a statewide elected office, acknowledged his priorities may be difficult to pass in the Republican-led Legislature.
"Standing up here today is me, doing the right thing, suggesting ideas that directly impact the State Auditor's Office, not weighing whether or not the Legislature wants to pass them," he said. "I should be advocating for them regardless."
Sand called the 2023 law, SF 478, "the biggest pro-corruption bill in history." The law restricts the auditor's ability to access certain types of personal information, like medical and student records, unless necessary to comply with generally accepted government auditing standards, state or federal regulations or in the case of suspected embezzlement or theft.
SF 478 also blocks the Auditor's office from taking state agencies and officials to court if they refuse to provide requested documents during an investigation.
Sand said the law has restricted his office from accessing information about the state's education savings accounts, which are used to fund private school tuition, and from accessing documents from the Iowa Board of Parole.
"This has been used on multiple occasions to block our efforts," he said. "It's also been very effective as red tape in slowing our audits down. And as anyone can understand, when your audit is slowed down, you have fewer opportunities to dive in and actually do the digging that might lead to uncovering something."
The state auditor also wants to pass a measure that would send public employees or officials to prison if they are convicted of stealing more than $10,000. Under his proposal, the officials or employees wouldn't be eligible for a deferred judgement or probation.
Sand is also proposing a bill that would require local governments and certified public accountants to cooperate with the auditor's office when there's evidence of theft, embezzlement or other financial irregularities.
Iowa's 2026 legislative session begins Jan. 12.
