Attorney General Bird Celebrates Iowa State Legislature Passing Constitutional Amendment to Protect Kids in Court

DES MOINES—With today’s vote at the Iowa State Legislature, both chambers have officially passed Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s constitutional amendment to protect kids in court.

Attorney General Bird’s proposal follows a July 2024, Iowa Supreme Court ruling that eliminated decades of protections for Iowa kids in court. Iowa is currently the only state in the country that does not allow kids to safely testify against their abuser from a separate room. With Attorney General Bird’s proposal, those longstanding protections for Iowa kids will be restored.

“Children shouldn’t be forced to testify arm’s length from the abusers who beat or molested them, and many kids can’t,” said Attorney General Bird. “It’s hard enough for kids to talk to groups of people about good things that happen to them, let alone bad ones. And as a prosecutor, I know that restoring these protections is critical in preventing kids from getting too scared to testify, cases from getting dropped, and abusers from walking free. I am grateful to the Iowa legislature for passing this amendment to ensure kids are protected and abusers are brought to justice.”

To become Iowa law, the constitutional amendment must pass two legislative sessions, separated by an election, before it goes on the ballot for voters to decide. This is the first legislative session that the amendment has passed.

Read the constitutional amendment here.

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For More Information:

Zach Hoffman | Chief of Staff

zach.hoffman@ag.iowa.gov