Hunter
01/14/26
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced a bill that would ensure the State Historical Society locations in Des Moines and Iowa City remain open.
The Gazette reports the bill counters a bill pre-filed by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services that would eliminate the mandate in Iowa Code that it maintain a center in Iowa City. The bill was filed Tuesday by Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City; Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville; Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton; and Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City.
Zabner said closing the Iowa City location would jeopardize Iowans’ long-term access to irreplaceable historical collections — from labor union archives and Native American heritage, to local government records and community newspapers. He argued many of those collections exist nowhere else and preserving regional access is a bipartisan responsibility and “a cost worth bearing.”
Representative Jacoby said any long-term solution must include funding for a physical location with staff and full public access.