S-N Editorial

Suffice it to say, Iowa Republicans had a “great” legislative session in 2023.

With suffocating majorities in both chambers and a friendly face in the governor’s office, the GOP had little trouble pushing through its agenda with ease. Bills forcing taxpayer dollars to be used on private K-12 education and other school-related changes faced little chance at being stopped. Other issues of monumental importance to Republicans in 2023 – like book bans, transgender-related legislation and loosened child labor laws – also topped the list.

And then there was SF 478.

Pure political vengeance in nature, the bill handcuffs the state auditor’s office by limiting its ability to investigate instances of potential fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars. Why was this needed? Well, the answer isn’t exactly rocket science.

Current Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat in Des Moines holding a statewide elected office. A stalwart of centrism, he runs a clean and objective office that does its job of ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent as intended. That duty inherently ruffles feathers, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plume in particular.

SF 478, which was signed by a grinning Reynolds last week, removes objectivity from the auditing process. As per the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the law will limit the state auditor’s ability to access personal information, such as medical records or student grades, during investigations. If the state government entity disputes the need for the auditor’s office to access that information, a board of arbitration will decide whether the requested information is necessary to perform the audit. The arbitration panel will be comprised of one representative from Sand’s office, one from the governor’s office, and one from the agency being audited – most likely someone appointed by the governor. Sand would be outnumbered every time.

The bill would almost be comical for its brazen targeting of Sand if the implications weren’t so serious. It opens the door to potential corruption and fraud, which is what the auditor’s office is intended to protect against. Sand has called it “the single most pro-corruption bill in Iowa history.”

With this bill, Republicans are behaving like they’ll never be in the minority again. If recent elections are any indication, that’s a long ways out from happening. Still, the day will come and they can only hope Democrats are half as vengeful as they ought to be.

All SF 478 does is neutralize the lone threat to the GOP’s power in Des Moines, if you can even call Sand’s office a threat. As mentioned above, the auditor’s office is politically neutral in nature and Sand has been committed to operating it as such – he even went out of his way to appoint a Republican, a Democrat and an independent to serve on his leadership team in the auditor’s office. He’s no liberal demagogue and the fact that Iowa Republicans targeted him with such an egregious, overreaching bill shows how power-hungry they truly are. Their supermajority apparently isn’t enough.

As he’s done since 2018, Sand will keep plugging away; religiously committed to calling balls and strikes from his perch atop the auditor’s office. Republicans will keep taking shots at him up there, too, because he’s the only one left in Des Moines with a scarlet letter on his chest.

Unfortunately for Sand, that letter is a “D.” This bill is a politically-motivated hit job and a horrible look for the Hawkeye State. Iowans need to be paying attention.