Hunter
04/02/26
A proposal that would have required state agencies to verify citizenship and work eligibility of all state employees was rejected by the Iowa Senate after the House tried to expand the requirement to private employers.
The Gazette reports the bill was designed to tighten hiring and licensing checks at Iowa schools and state agencies after a former Des Moines Public School superintendent pleaded guilty earlier this year to falsely claiming US citizenship and illegally possessing firearms.
The Senate passed the original bill unanimously last month. However, when the House passed the bill, they tacked on an amendment that created new penalties for private employers who knowingly accepted false Social Security numbers from workers. The Senate got the bill back on Tuesday and unanimously rejected the House changes.
The bill now is back in the House, where they can either approve it without their proposed changes or try to reach an agreement with the Senate on their amendments.