01/20/2026
We need your help! URGENTLY! Please read the details below. PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!
This is an urgent plea for help in the next 48 hours! The Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) introduced a bill in the Iowa Senate (SSB 3033 which “strikes the requirement that the department maintain such a research center in Iowa City.”
An Iowa Senate subcommittee of the State Government Committee will hold a public hearing in Des Moines at the State Capitol on Tuesday, January 20, at 1:30 p.m.
This bill is aimed at finalizing the closure and dissolution of the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City, which has provided generations of Iowans and educators with critical access to the state’s historical legacy since 1857.
Now is the time to express your opinion on the closure of the State Historical Society of Iowa’s research facility in Iowa City. You can do so by doing any & all of the following FOUR ACTION POINTS:
1) Attend the hearing in the Senate Lounge – Room 216 – State Capitol – Des Moines -1:30 pm – Tues Jan 20 – and offer comments in person to the subcommittee, with a 2-minute limit.
2) Help pack the Zoom meeting of the Jan 20th hearing!
3) Post a public comment to the subcommittee
4) Register your complaint directly to the three subcommittee members (sponsors of SSB 3033) below…
Carrie Koelker, Chair, Dubuque, lives in Dyersville; Republican, District 33 – [email protected]
Jeff Reichman, Keokuk, resides in Montrose; Republican, District 50 –
[email protected]
Art Staed, Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha; Democrat, District 40 –
[email protected]
This nonpartisan issue requires closer scrutiny by our political leadership and all Iowans, regardless of where they live. Please direct their attention to: https://saveiowahistory.org
Your assistance at this critical moment is greatly appreciated. Don’t let short-sighted bureaucrats diminish the quality and completeness of Iowa’s authentic and irreplaceable historical record! We have much to learn from the past!
With gratitude to those who stand in solidarity as we move forward.
