Hunter
01/16/22
The acting Iowa Ombudsman says he’s having issues looking into complaints against state government because he can’t get the records he needs to complete investigations.
KCRG TV reports that Bert Dalmer says state agencies are stonewalling his agency’s investigations by saying the records are privileged or confidential.
The Office of the Ombudsman has pre-filed legislation to allow it to see those records.
The station also reports that lawmakers are also thinking about what any agency can charge for access to their records. KCRG was charged $500 for emails and text messages about a “Trangender Week” at the Linn-Mar School District, but their request was narrowed after a western Iowa blogger was told it would cost more than $600,000 to compile a complete list of emails and text messages about the event.
KCRG’s I-9 investigative team found loopholes in public records laws that allow public employees to resign for personal reasons in order to hide investigations and misconduct from future employers. It hasn’t been determined yet if legislation to close those loopholes will be introduced during the 2022 session.