By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
The Republican-led Senate has sent the governor a bill to limit the state auditor’s access to some confidential information. It also blocks the auditor from seeking a court order to get records from state agencies or other state officials.
Republican Senator Mike Bousselot of Ankeny said State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, has argued he can audit anything at anytime. “When government goes too far, we are the watchdogs,” Bousselot said during today’s Senate debate.
Bousselot said shortly after taking office in 2019, Sand began raising inappropriate questions about negotiations for a billion dollar deal involving the University of Iowa’s utilities plant. “This new, non-CPA auditor looks to see how far the law can go,” Bousselot said, “asks for impossible information about a transaction that isn’t even over yet.”
That dispute was ultimately decided by the Iowa Supreme Court, in the auditor’s favor. The bill calls for future disputes about government records to be settled by a three-person panel — with representatives of Sand’s office, the governor’s office and the state agency involved. “Settle disputes in a way that’s friendly to taxpayers,” Bousselot said.
All 16 Democrats in the Senate voted no. “The is pro-embezzler, this is pro-corruption, this is pro-crony,” said Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat “from Des Moines.
Senator Janice Weiner, a Democrat from Iowa City, said the bill “knee caps” the state auditor’s office. “This is Republicans protecting each other and putting their own interests over those of the state,” Weiner said. “We don’t play games with our state’s finances.”
Sand issued a written statement this afternoon, saying the bill lets government agencies “hide records necessary to prove abuse of tax dollars” and allows “dishonest…insiders to conceal their waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Governor Kim Reynolds has not commented on the bill. Last May, as she campaigned for Republican Primary candidates, Reynolds said needed a state auditor “that’s not trying to sue her every time they turn around.”
