Technology (Digital Government)

This Iowa bill requires the secretary of state to establish an online portal for reducing bureaucratic red tape. The website will allow members of the public to request information about state executive branch regulatory restrictions and communicate directly with the secretary regarding those rules. Additionally, the secretary of state must submit an annual report to the general assembly detailing the requests and communications received through the site.

This bill requires designated public entities in Iowa, including state agencies, counties, cities, and school districts, to post all statutorily required public notices on a centralized online portal managed by the secretary of state. The secretary of state will charge a five-dollar fee for each notice posted, with collected funds deposited into a new public notice administration fund capped at $350,000. Each notice must include essential information such as meeting details, contact information, and instructions for public comments, and must remain accessible on the portal for five years after the notice period ends. While the bill mandates online posting, it also requires entities to maintain a physical copy of notices at their principal offices for public access. Exceptions apply to certain government offices and specific interstate licensure compacts, and disputes over notice publication will be handled by the Iowa public information board.

HF 744 requires counties and cities to make required forms (like licenses or filings) available on a public online portal. The portal must accept digital submissions while protecting personal information and cannot use Social Security numbers as identifiers. This applies directly to county officers (e.g., auditors, sheriffs) and city clerks handling public service requests. The bill does not mandate electronic signatures for all agencies but specifically updates county and city requirements for digital form access.