Hunter
01/21/26
An Iowa Senate panel is advancing a bill that would remove the state requirement that the State Historical Society maintain a facility in Iowa City.
The Gazette reports the filing of Senate Study Bill 3033 comes amid a legal and political fight over the State Historical Society of Iowa’s decision to close its 168-year-old Iowa City research center and relocate collections to Des Moines — a move that sparked backlash from historians, researchers, donors and elected officials.
The two Republicans in the subcommittee signed off on advancing the bill, but Democrat Art Staed of Cedar Rapids voted no, saying he got lots of e-mails and good rationale for keeping the Iowa City location.
The issue started in June when lawmakers announced they would permanently close the Iowa City facility at the end of the year. A group of 17 petitioners sued the state, and a Johnson County Distric Court judge issued a temporary injunction preventing the state from removing additional materials from the location.
Meanwhile, the Iowa House has introduced a bill from a bipartisan group intended to fund and staff both locations.
The Department of Administrative Services said the decision to close the Iowa City location was an affordability issue, saying with their current budget they cannot support two locations.