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Bill would create Iowa Domestic Abuser Registry
Iowa would become the second state to maintain a domestic abuser registry if a bill introduced in the Iowa House becomes law.
An offender would be added to the public list after their second conviction. The registry would include their name, photo, conviction date, and the county or counties where they committed abuse.
Chayce Glienke Baltimore, a lobbyist for the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, testified before lawmakers on a House subcommittee this week. “Specifically, we don’t speak on behalf of all survivors, and certainly there are survivors that support this bill,” she said. “However, the coalition opposes this bill specifically because we think it raises some practical and substantive concerns.”
Glienke Baltimore said the registry could provide a false sense of security for people who check to see if a dating partner is on it and don’t find the name. “That would suggest that perhaps someone who is not listed on the registry is a safe individual or has no history of abuse,” she said. “There are a small number of folks that ever end up in the criminal justice system, ultimately with convictions that would put them on the registry.”
And Glienke Baltimore told lawmakers the registry would likely duplicate information that’s already available online.”There’s already a very robust Iowa Court System information apparatus through Iowa Courts Online that makes a lot of this information and, in fact, in greater detail and encompassing far more offenders available,” she said.
The bill has cleared a House subcommittee with the support of two Republicans. It must be approved by the House Judiciary Committee by next Friday to remain eligible for consideration during the 2026 legislative session.
On January 1, Tennessee became the first state in the nation to launch a public domestic violence offender registry. The law passed with bipartisan support and is named in honor of a deputy sheriff in Tennessee who was shot to death by an ex-boyfriend who investigators later discovered had an extensive history of domestic abuse and stalking.
