FORT MADISON – On Friday, Lee County Auditor Denise Fraise, fifth district president in the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, held a district meeting at the Ivy Downtown in Fort Madison. All 17 auditors in her district were invited.
Also present was Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, who spoke about current legislation in Des Moines.
His main topic was the Safe at Home Act.
“On Thursday, the house passed a bill called Safe at Home,” Pate said. “This bill is important because we are giving people a chance to come back and be part of the community again.”
Pate said the idea was to allow victims of domestic abuse the ability to vote without having to make their addresses public knowledge.
“Once you have been a victim, you really don’t want (abusers) to have the ability to know where you are living,” Pate said.
Pate said the passage of the bill will allow people to begin to re-enter society again.
“Already, 33 other states have this in affect,” Pate said. “We think it’s way past time for Iowa to follow suit.”
The program is necessary because the lack of it has caused some people to have to leave the state in order to lead a somewhat normal life again, he said.
The Safe at Home Act establishes an address confidentiality program that protects victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, trafficking and stalking by keeping their home address private.
Participants receive a new legal address to be used for all official purposes. Their actual home address will not be included on public records, such as voter registration and absentee ballot lists. There is no cost for participants to enroll in the Safe at Home program.
The Iowa House passed the bill 100-0 and it is now in the senate for its consideration.
Representative Dean Fisher of Garwin worked with Pate in drafting and advocating for the Safe at Home Act’s passage.
