Attorney General Brenna Bird Announces Three Legislative Priorities that Protect Victims, Strengthen Public Safety, and Regulate Crypto ATMs are Now Iowa Law

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today that three bills from her 2026 legislative priorities are now law after being signed by Governor Kim Reynolds. These bills are part of a comprehensive effort to protect crime victims, enhance the safety of public officials, and establish rigorous oversight for crypto ATMs. 

The Victim Protections Bill (SF2379) enacts a wide-ranging series of reforms designed to protect victims and hold offenders accountable. It allows sex abuse victims, including children, to get a lifetime protection order from their abuser so they don’t have to go before a judge to ask for an extension every five years and relive their trauma. It shortens the window for sex offenders to register or update changes to their address with the sheriff from five days to three days and includes as part of the registration the offender’s vehicle make, model, and plate number and their employer’s address. The bill also extends the minimum storage period for sexual assault kits to 20 years, or for the lifetime of a minor victim, ensuring evidence remains available for future justice. This will aid in law enforcement’s ability to solve cold cases. 

The Judicial Safety Bill (SF2280) focuses on the safety of Iowa's judges. Recognizing an increase in threats and violence against public officials, this bill establishes a “C” felony — up to 10 years in prison — for threatening judicial officers or members of the general assembly, including their immediate family members, in order to interfere with the officials duties or to retaliate against them because of their judicial or legislative actions. The bill also creates a serious misdemeanor charge for doxxing (the malicious sharing of personal information such as home addresses) judicial officers, members of the general assembly, or their immediate family with the intent to cause them harm. This bill allows judicial officers and attorneys in the Attorney General’s Office to obtain a professional permit to carry, enabling them to protect themselves in court.  

Regulating Digital Financial Kiosks (SF2296) regulates crypto ATMs by integrating them into the state’s financial regulatory framework and grants the Iowa Attorney General the authority to seek increased civil penalties and related injunctions when consumers are harmed by scammers.  

“Iowa is a state where crime victims are prioritized,” said Attorney General Bird. “The Victim Protection Bill means that sex abuse and human trafficking victims, including children, do not have to relive their trauma in court to renew an order of protection from their abuser. And, with an uptick in violence against judges and legislators in our country, the Judicial Safety Bill shows these public servants in Iowa that their safety matters to us. Finally, we continue to fight to protect Iowans from the scammers who prey on them through crypto ATMs. Thank you to the legislature for passing these bills with huge bipartisan support and to Governor Reynolds for signing them into law.”   

Read these bills here and here and here.  

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For More Information:

Contact: Jen Green | jen.green@ag.iowa.gov