District 12 Senator Amy Sinclair

A bill that passed in the Iowa Senate last week looks to protect victims too vulnerable to face their abusers.

Senator for District 12 Amy Sinclair says that Senate Joint Resolution 9 advanced to the House. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio the reason that the bill was first drafted was because of a decision in the Iowa Supreme Court that when it says defendants may face their accusers, it is interpreted as being a face-to-face meeting. Sinclair shares why lawmakers saw an issue with that.

“What that meant was our Iowa Code, which allowed that to be done through video in the cases of children who have been sexually abused and other adults who might be in a fragile state, they’re are a certain group of people who could do this remotely. But with the Supreme Court decision, that was essentially overturned.”

Sinclair mentions that SJR 9 needs to finish going through the legislative process this session, and go through it once again next session, before it can be voted upon by the citizens of Iowa. She adds that this bill must follow this process because it brings a change to the state constitution.