House
File
2250
-
Enrolled
House
File
2250
AN
ACT
RELATING
TO
TAMPERING
WITH
WITNESSES,
JURORS,
OR
REPORTING
PARTIES,
AND
PROVIDING
PENALTIES.
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
Section
1.
Section
720.4,
Code
2024,
is
amended
by
striking
the
section
and
inserting
in
lieu
thereof
the
following:
720.4
Tampering
with
witnesses,
jurors,
or
reporting
parties.
1.
As
used
in
this
section:
a.
“Juror”
means
the
same
as
defined
in
section
607A.3,
subsection
5.
b.
“Reporting
party”
means
a
person
who
does
either
of
the
following:
(1)
Reports
or
attempts
to
report
a
public
offense
to
any
fire
department,
law
enforcement
agency,
emergency
communications
center,
or
other
public
safety
entity.
House
File
2250,
p.
2
(2)
Assists
or
attempts
to
assist
a
law
enforcement
agency
or
a
prosecuting
agency
in
any
criminal
investigation
or
judicial
proceeding.
c.
“Tampering”
includes
any
of
the
following
acts
committed
against
a
witness,
juror,
or
reporting
party:
(1)
Bribery
or
an
attempt
to
bribe.
(2)
Threats.
(3)
Forcible
or
fraudulent
detaining
or
restraining.
(4)
Harassment
as
described
in
section
708.7,
subsection
1.
(5)
Assault
as
described
in
section
708.1,
subsection
2.
(6)
Any
other
public
offense.
d.
“Witness”
means
a
person
who
is
summoned
to
testify
in
any
judicial
proceeding,
arbitration,
or
legislative
hearing,
or
who
is
listed
in
the
minutes
of
evidence
as
provided
in
rule
of
criminal
procedure
2.4
or
2.5.
2.
A
person
shall
not
do
any
of
the
following:
a.
With
the
intent
to
improperly
influence
the
testimony
of
an
individual
that
the
person
believes
is
or
may
be
a
witness,
to
prevent
such
individual
from
testifying,
to
encourage
such
individual
to
disobey
or
avoid
a
subpoena
or
other
legal
process,
or
to
encourage
such
individual
to
withhold
evidence,
information,
or
documents,
or
in
retaliation
for
anything
lawfully
done
by
such
an
individual,
tamper
with
a
witness.
b.
With
the
intent
to
improperly
influence
the
decision
of
any
individual
that
the
person
believes
is
or
may
be
a
juror,
to
prevent
such
individual
from
serving
in
a
judicial
proceeding,
or
in
retaliation
for
anything
lawfully
done
by
such
individual,
tamper
with
a
juror.
c.
With
the
intent
to
improperly
influence
the
statements
of
an
individual
that
the
person
believes
is
or
may
be
a
reporting
party,
to
prevent
such
individual
from
becoming
a
reporting
party,
to
encourage
such
individual
to
disobey
or
avoid
a
subpoena
or
other
legal
process,
or
to
encourage
such
individual
to
withhold
evidence,
information,
or
documents,
or
in
retaliation
for
anything
lawfully
done
by
such
an
individual,
tamper
with
a
reporting
party.
3.
A
person
who
tampers
with
a
witness,
juror,
or
reporting
party,
as
described
in
subsection
2,
commits
a
public
offense
that
shall
be
classified
and
punished
as
an
offense
one
degree
House
File
2250,
p.
3
higher
than
the
underlying
offense,
not
to
exceed
a
class
“C”
felony,
but
in
no
case
shall
the
public
offense
be
classified
and
punished
lower
than
an
aggravated
misdemeanor.
______________________________
PAT
GRASSLEY
Speaker
of
the
House
______________________________
AMY
SINCLAIR
President
of
the
Senate
I
hereby
certify
that
this
bill
originated
in
the
House
and
is
known
as
House
File
2250,
Ninetieth
General
Assembly.
______________________________
MEGHAN
NELSON
Chief
Clerk
of
the
House
Approved
_______________,
2024
______________________________
KIM
REYNOLDS
Governor