Bill Text: IA SF66 | 2025-2026 | 91st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to testimony by certain witnesses by two-way closed-circuit equipment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-23 - Subcommittee: Bousselot, Petersen, and Schultz. S.J. 136. [SF66 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2025-SF66-Introduced.html
Senate
File
66
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
66
BY
PETERSEN
,
WEINER
,
WINCKLER
,
BENNETT
,
TRONE
GARRIOTT
,
CELSI
,
BLAKE
,
KNOX
,
BISIGNANO
,
TOWNSEND
,
STAED
,
QUIRMBACH
,
DOTZLER
,
DONAHUE
,
and
WAHLS
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
testimony
by
certain
witnesses
by
two-way
1
closed-circuit
equipment.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
915.38,
subsection
1,
paragraph
a,
Code
1
2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
a.
Upon
its
own
motion
or
upon
motion
of
any
party,
a
3
court
may
protect
a
minor,
as
defined
in
section
599.1
,
4
from
trauma
caused
by
testifying
in
the
physical
presence
of
5
the
defendant
where
it
would
impair
the
minor’s
ability
to
6
communicate,
by
ordering
that
the
testimony
of
the
minor
be
7
taken
in
a
room
other
than
the
courtroom
and
be
televised
by
8
two-way
closed-circuit
equipment
for
viewing
in
the
courtroom.
9
However,
such
an
order
shall
be
entered
only
upon
a
specific
10
finding
by
the
court
that
such
measures
are
necessary
to
11
protect
the
minor
from
trauma.
Only
the
judge,
prosecuting
12
attorney,
defendant’s
attorney,
persons
necessary
to
operate
13
the
equipment,
and
any
person
whose
presence,
in
the
opinion
14
of
the
court,
would
contribute
to
the
welfare
and
well-being
15
of
the
minor
may
be
present
in
the
room
with
the
minor
during
16
the
minor’s
testimony.
The
judge
shall
inform
the
minor
that
17
the
defendant
will
not
be
present
in
the
room
in
which
the
18
minor
will
be
testifying
but
that
the
defendant
will
be
viewing
19
the
minor’s
testimony
through
closed-circuit
television
,
and
20
that
the
minor
will
be
able
to
view
the
defendant
while
giving
21
testimony
.
22
EXPLANATION
23
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
24
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
25
This
bill
relates
to
testimony
by
certain
witnesses
by
26
two-way
closed-circuit
equipment.
27
The
bill
provides
that
upon
its
own
motion
or
upon
motion
28
of
any
party,
a
court
may
protect
a
minor
up
to
18
years
of
29
age
from
trauma
caused
by
testifying
in
the
physical
presence
30
of
the
defendant
where
it
would
impair
the
minor’s
ability
to
31
communicate,
by
ordering
that
the
testimony
of
the
minor
be
32
taken
in
a
room
other
than
the
courtroom
and
be
televised
by
33
two-way
closed-circuit
equipment
for
viewing
in
the
courtroom.
34
Current
law
does
not
specify
that
the
closed-circuit
equipment
35
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be
two-way.
Upon
a
finding
of
necessity,
the
court
may
also
1
allow
the
testimony
of
a
victim
or
witness
with
a
mental
2
illness,
an
intellectual
disability,
or
other
developmental
3
disability
to
be
taken
by
two-way
closed-circuit
equipment
4
regardless
of
the
age
of
the
victim
or
witness.
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