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A bill for an act relating to discovery and postconviction procedure.(Formerly SSB 1009 .)

A bill for an act relating to discovery and postconviction procedure.(Formerly SSB 1009 .)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
Last action
2025-03-20
Official status
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/20/2025 8:00AM RM 102 (Cancelled).
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to discovery and postconviction procedure.(Formerly SSB 1009 .)

A bill for an act relating to discovery and postconviction procedure.(Formerly SSB 1009 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to discovery and postconviction procedure.(Formerly SSB 1009 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-20 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 03/20/2025 8:00AM RM 102 (Cancelled).

  2. 2025-03-13 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Lawler, Holt and Meyer, B. H.J. 657 .

  3. 2025-03-12 Iowa Legislature

    Read first time, referred to Judiciary. H.J. 615 .

  4. 2025-03-11 Iowa Legislature

    Message from Senate. H.J. 592 .

  5. 2025-03-10 Iowa Legislature

    Immediate message. S.J. 456 .

  6. 2025-03-10 Iowa Legislature

    Passed Senate , yeas 33, nays 14. S.J. 454 .

  7. 2025-03-10 Iowa Legislature

    Fiscal note .

  8. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 331 .

  9. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 322 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to discovery and postconviction procedure.(Formerly SSB 1009 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

393

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

393

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

JUDICIARY

(SUCCESSOR

TO

SSB

1009)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

discovery

and

postconviction

procedure.

1

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

2

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Section

1.

Section

822.7,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

1

follows:

2

822.7

Court

to

hear

application.

3

The

application

shall

be

heard

in,

and

before

any

judge

4

of

,

the

court

in

which

the

conviction

or

sentence

took

place.

5

However,

if

the

applicant

is

seeking

relief

under

section

6

822.2,

subsection

1

,

paragraph

“f”

,

the

application

shall

be

7

heard

in,

and

before

any

judge

of

,

the

court

of

the

county

8

in

which

the

applicant

is

being

confined.

A

record

of

the

9

proceedings

shall

be

made

and

preserved.

All

rules

and

10

statutes

applicable

in

civil

proceedings

including

pretrial

11

and

discovery

procedures

are

available

to

the

parties

,

subject

12

to

the

restrictions

contained

in

section

822.7A

.

The

court

13

may

receive

proof

of

affidavits,

depositions,

oral

testimony,

14

or

other

evidence,

and

may

order

the

applicant

brought

before

15

it

for

the

hearing.

If

the

court

finds

in

favor

of

the

16

applicant,

it

shall

enter

an

appropriate

order

with

respect

to

17

the

conviction

or

sentence

in

the

former

proceedings,

and

any

18

supplementary

orders

as

to

rearraignment,

retrial,

custody,

19

bail,

discharge,

correction

of

sentence,

or

other

matters

that

20

may

be

necessary

and

proper.

The

court

shall

make

specific

21

findings

of

fact,

and

state

expressly

its

conclusions

of

law,

22

relating

to

each

issue

presented.

This

order

is

a

final

23

judgment.

24

Sec.

2.

NEW

SECTION

.

822.7A

Discovery.

25

1.

This

chapter

is

intended

to

provide

a

limited

scope

26

of

discovery

that

is

no

broader

than

what

is

afforded

to

a

27

defendant

in

a

criminal

action.

Discovery

rules

and

procedures

28

in

actions

under

this

chapter

shall

be

narrowly

construed

to

29

permit

only

the

discovery

that

is

necessary

to

promote

the

30

sound

administration

of

justice.

It

shall

be

an

abuse

of

the

31

discovery

process

to

conduct

discovery

in

violation

of

this

32

section.

33

2.

As

used

in

this

section:

34

a.

“Affected

person”

means

any

of

the

following:

35

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(1)

A

victim

as

defined

in

section

915.10.

1

(2)

A

person

whose

private

information

is

sought

in

a

2

discovery

request.

3

(3)

A

person

whose

private

information

is

reasonably

likely

4

to

be

revealed

in

an

answer

to

a

discovery

request.

5

b.

“Discovery”

or

“discovery

request”

includes

any

manner

or

6

method

of

discovery

permitted

by

the

rules

of

civil

procedure,

7

including

depositions

and

subpoenas

to

produce

documents

or

8

other

evidence.

9

c.

“Private

information”

means

any

of

the

following:

10

(1)

Information

for

which

a

person

has

a

reasonable

11

expectation

of

privacy

including

but

not

limited

to

information

12

the

state

would

need

a

search

warrant

to

obtain,

nonpublic

13

electronic

communications,

and

information

that

would

reveal

14

personal

information

immaterial

to

the

matter.

15

(2)

Any

information

protected

by

any

other

provision

of

16

state

law.

17

3.

Notwithstanding

any

other

statute,

rule,

or

law,

the

18

following

limitations

on

discovery

and

procedure

shall

apply

to

19

a

claim

for

postconviction

relief

under

this

chapter:

20

a.

No

discovery

in

an

action

under

this

chapter

may

21

be

conducted

unless

and

until

permitted

by

order

of

the

22

court

consistent

with

the

limitations

of

this

section

or

by

23

prior

agreement

of

the

parties.

A

discovery

request

must

24

be

accompanied

by

a

statement

identifying

the

information

25

sought

and

the

manner

in

which

the

proposed

discovery

is

to

be

26

conducted.

A

court

may

grant

a

discovery

request

only

upon

a

27

showing

of

all

of

the

following:

28

(1)

The

information

sought,

and

the

manner

in

which

it

is

29

sought,

does

not

unreasonably

invade

the

privacy

interests

of

30

an

affected

person.

31

(2)

Objective

facts

show

that

the

information

sought

is

32

necessary

to

support

or

defeat

a

claim

that

is

adequately

33

pled

and,

if

taken

as

true,

constitutes

a

colorable

claim

for

34

relief.

35

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(3)

All

affected

persons

have

received

notice

of

the

1

discovery

request,

including

the

statement

identifying

the

2

information

sought

and

the

manner

in

which

the

proposed

3

discovery

is

to

be

conducted,

and

have

had

a

reasonable

4

opportunity

to

object

to

the

proposed

discovery.

5

b.

Notwithstanding

paragraph

“a”

,

either

party

may

obtain

6

discovery

from

an

attorney

who

previously

represented

the

7

applicant

in

the

underlying

criminal

action

or

on

appeal

8

therefrom.

9

c.

The

parties

shall

have

standing

to

object

to

or

move

10

to

quash

any

discovery

request,

including

discovery

requests

11

of

third

parties.

An

affected

person

shall

have

standing

to

12

object

to

or

move

to

quash

any

discovery

request

for

private

13

information,

including

discovery

requests

of

third

parties.

14

d.

Discovery

involving

a

victim

of

the

underlying

public

15

offense

shall

not

be

conducted

unless

all

of

the

following

is

16

established

by

clear

and

convincing

evidence:

17

(1)

The

evidence

is

necessary

to

prove

the

applicant

is

18

innocent

of

the

underlying

public

offense

and

all

lesser

19

included

offenses.

20

(2)

The

information

is

not

available

from

any

other

source.

21

(3)

Contact

with

a

victim

is

minimized

by

limitations

on

22

the

method

of

discovery,

including

in

camera

review,

remote

23

testimony,

or

allowing

a

victim

to

provide

a

written

statement

24

in

lieu

of

testimony.

25

e.

Discovery

of

evidence

subject

to

rule

of

evidence

5.412

26

shall

be

limited

to

that

permitted

by

section

622.31A.

27

f.

The

state

shall

not

be

required

to

produce

copies

28

of

discovery

previously

disclosed

to

an

applicant

in

the

29

underlying

criminal

action

or

a

previous

postconviction

relief

30

action

or

that

the

applicant

previously

possessed

in

the

31

underlying

criminal

action

or

a

previous

postconviction

relief

32

action

except

upon

a

showing

of

a

compelling

need.

33

g.

The

state

shall

not

be

required

to

produce

any

discovery

34

contained

in

a

court

file

accessible

to

the

applicant.

35

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h.

The

state

shall

not

be

required

to

produce

any

discovery

1

that

cannot

lawfully

be

disseminated

or

that

is

otherwise

2

confidential

by

law.

3

i.

A

discovery

request

or

for

the

appointment

of

an

expert

4

witness

shall

not

be

filed

or

reviewed

ex

parte.

5

j.

The

court

shall

not

require

a

victim

or

other

affected

6

person

to

execute

a

waiver

of

any

right,

privilege,

or

privacy

7

interest.

8

k.

The

state

shall

not

be

required

to

execute

or

effectuate

9

any

subpoena

issued

pursuant

to

this

section.

10

4.

Documents

or

other

evidence

obtained

by

one

party

through

11

a

subpoena

must

be

provided

to

the

other

party

within

three

12

business

days

after

the

receipt

of

the

documents

or

other

13

evidence.

14

5.

The

court

may

sanction

an

attorney

or

party

for

knowingly

15

conducting

discovery

in

violation

of

this

section.

16

6.

The

attorney-client

privilege

contained

in

section

17

622.10

shall

be

absolute,

except

that

the

filing

of

an

18

application

shall

waive

any

privilege

an

applicant

may

claim

19

regarding

an

attorney

who

represented

the

applicant

in

the

20

underlying

criminal

action

or

any

previous

postconviction

21

relief

action.

22

7.

If

a

person

acting

on

behalf

of

an

applicant

contacts

a

23

victim

or

witness,

the

person

shall

clearly

inform

the

victim

24

or

witness,

either

in

person

or

in

writing,

of

the

identity

and

25

capacity

of

the

person

contacting

the

victim

or

witness;

that

26

the

victim

or

witness

does

not

have

to

talk

to

or

otherwise

27

provide

evidence

or

discovery

to

the

applicant,

the

applicant’s

28

attorney,

or

any

other

agents

of

the

applicant,

unless

the

29

victim

or

witness

wishes;

and

that

the

victim

or

witness

may

30

have

an

advocate

or

attorney

present

during

any

interview

or

31

other

contact.

32

8.

Upon

application

by

a

victim

or

the

state,

the

court

33

shall

appoint

an

attorney

to

represent

the

victim.

Counsel

34

appointed

pursuant

to

this

subsection

shall

be

paid

from

the

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indigent

defense

fund

established

pursuant

to

section

815.11.

1

9.

Nothing

in

this

section

shall

be

construed

as

relieving

2

the

state

of

any

constitutional

obligation

to

disclose

3

exculpatory

evidence

to

a

postconviction

relief

applicant.

4

EXPLANATION

5

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

6

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

7

This

bill

relates

to

discovery

and

postconviction

procedure.

8

The

bill

provides

limitations

on

discovery

and

9

procedure

applicable

to

a

claim

for

postconviction

relief,

10

notwithstanding

any

other

statute,

rule,

or

law.

No

discovery

11

may

be

conducted

unless

and

until

permitted

by

order

of

12

the

court

consistent

with

the

limitations

of

the

bill

or

by

13

prior

agreement

of

the

parties.

A

discovery

request

must

14

be

accompanied

by

a

statement

identifying

the

information

15

sought

and

the

manner

in

which

the

proposed

discovery

is

to

be

16

conducted.

A

court

may

grant

a

discovery

request

only

upon

a

17

showing

that

the

information

sought

and

the

manner

in

which

it

18

is

sought

does

not

unreasonably

invade

the

privacy

interests

19

of

an

affected

person;

the

information

sought

is

necessary

20

to

support

or

defeat

a

claim;

and

all

affected

persons

have

21

received

notice

of

the

discovery

request

and

have

had

a

22

reasonable

opportunity

to

object

to

the

proposed

discovery.

23

The

bill

provides

that

either

party

may

obtain

discovery

24

from

an

attorney

who

previously

represented

the

applicant

in

25

the

underlying

criminal

action

or

on

appeal.

26

The

parties

have

standing

to

object

to

or

move

to

quash

27

any

discovery

request,

and

an

affected

person

has

standing

to

28

object

to

or

move

to

quash

any

discovery

request

for

private

29

information.

30

The

bill

provides

that

discovery

involving

a

victim

of

the

31

underlying

public

offense

may

not

be

conducted

unless

all

of

32

the

following

is

established

by

clear

and

convincing

evidence:

33

the

evidence

is

necessary

to

prove

the

applicant

is

innocent

of

34

the

underlying

public

offense

and

all

lesser

included

offenses;

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the

information

is

not

available

from

any

other

source;

and

1

contact

with

a

victim

is

minimized

by

limitations

on

the

2

method

of

discovery.

Discovery

of

evidence

subject

to

rule

3

of

evidence

5.412

(sex-offense

cases:

the

victim’s

sexual

4

behavior

or

predisposition)

are

limited

to

that

permitted

by

5

Code

section

622.31A.

6

The

bill

provides

that

the

state

is

not

required

to

produce

7

copies

of

discovery

previously

disclosed

to

an

applicant

except

8

upon

a

showing

of

a

compelling

need.

The

state

is

not

required

9

to

produce

any

discovery

contained

in

a

court

file

accessible

10

to

the

applicant,

or

to

produce

any

discovery

that

cannot

11

lawfully

be

disseminated

or

that

is

otherwise

confidential

by

12

law.

13

The

bill

requires

that

documents

or

other

evidence

obtained

14

by

one

party

through

a

subpoena

must

be

provided

to

the

other

15

party

within

three

business

days.

The

court

may

sanction

16

an

attorney

or

party

for

knowingly

conducting

discovery

in

17

violation

of

the

bill.

18

The

bill

provides

that

if

a

person

acting

on

behalf

19

of

an

applicant

contacts

a

victim

or

witness,

the

person

20

shall

clearly

inform

the

victim

or

witness

of

the

person’s

21

identity

and

capacity,

and

inform

the

victim

or

witness

that

22

the

victim

or

witness

does

not

have

to

talk

to

or

otherwise

23

provide

evidence

or

discovery

unless

the

victim

or

witness

24

wishes,

and

that

the

victim

or

witness

may

have

an

advocate

or

25

attorney

present

during

any

interview

or

other

contact.

Upon

26

application

by

a

victim

or

the

state,

the

court

will

appoint

an

27

attorney

to

represent

the

victim.

28

The

bill

does

not

relieve

the

state

of

any

constitutional

29

obligation

to

disclose

exculpatory

evidence

to

a

postconviction

30

relief

applicant.

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