SF 457 (LSB 1414SV (1) 91)

SENATE FILE 457

BY  COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1129)

(COMPANION TO HF 397 BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the address confidentiality program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 9E.3, subsection 1, paragraphs e and f, Code 2025, are amended to read as follows:
   e.  The residential address of the eligible person, disclosure of which could lead to an increased risk of domestic abuse, domestic abuse assault, sexual abuse, assault, stalking, or human trafficking.  If the eligible person’s residential address is a shelter known to the program, the applicant may provide the shelter’s name and other contact information in lieu of the shelter’s physical address.
   f.  If mail cannot be delivered to the residential address of the eligible person, the address to which mail can be sent to the eligible person.  If the eligible person’s mailing address is a shelter known to the program, the applicant may provide the shelter’s name and other contact information in lieu of the shelter’s physical address.
    Sec. 2.  Section 9E.4, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The secretary shall cancel a program participant’s certification if the for any of the following reasons:
   a.  The program participant’s application contains false information.
   b.  The secretary receives information from a reliable source that the program participant has died.
   c.  A program participant with legal documentation from a reliable source requests an adult member of a household to be removed from the program. An adult member of a household whose program certification is canceled is eligible to rejoin the program.
    Sec. 3.  Section 9E.5, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  The secretary shall forward all mail sent to the designated address to the program participant.  At the request of the program participant, the secretary may hold the program participant’s mail for up to thirty days.
    Sec. 4.  Section 9E.6, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  c.  The state commissioner of elections or a county commissioner of elections shall cancel a program participant’s voter registration upon becoming aware of the program participant’s voter registration in another state.
    Sec. 5.  Section 9E.6, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  A program participant who is otherwise eligible to vote may annually register with the state commissioner of elections as an absentee voter for the length of a program participant’s certification period. As soon as practicable before each election, the state commissioner of elections shall determine the precinct in which the residential address of the program participant is located and shall request and receive from the county commissioner of elections the ballot for that precinct and shall forward the absentee ballot to the program participant with the other materials for absentee balloting as required of the county commissioner of elections by section 53.8.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   Under current law, the address confidentiality program managed by the secretary of state provides mail forwarding services to program participants who include victims of domestic abuse, domestic abuse assault, sexual abuse, assault, stalking, or human trafficking, and individuals who fear for their own safety or the safety of a household member. This bill allows the secretary to (1) accept as an eligible person’s residential or mailing address the name and other contact information of a shelter at which the eligible person resides in lieu of the shelter’s physical address, (2) cancel an adult participant’s certification or a deceased participant’s certification upon receiving reliable information, and (3) hold a participant’s mail for up to 30 days at the request of the participant. The bill requires the secretary or a county commissioner of elections to cancel a participant’s voter registration if aware that the participant is registered to vote in another state. The bill allows a program participant to register as an absentee voter for the length of the participant’s certification period, rather than annually under current law.