(Des Moines) Johnston attorney and Republican Attorney General candidate Adam Gregg released his policy prescriptions for the Attorney General’s office, and his agenda as Iowa’s next Attorney General.
“I’ve traveled to each of Iowa’s counties since June of this year,” Gregg stated. “As I’ve said, Iowa’s Attorney General needs to be in close contact with his clients, the people of Iowa. During my meetings with law enforcement officials, voters, and media outlets, I’ve outlined a positive agenda for the Attorney General’s office. I’ve reinforced that I will fight every day for Iowa families, Iowa farmers, and our Constitutional freedoms, while being an advocate for a more open and efficient government.”
Gregg set forth this comprehensive agenda for the Attorney General’s office:
Protecting Iowa Families
Fighting cybercrime and crimes against children. Gregg will create new divisions within the Iowa Department of Justice focused on prosecuting and preventing cybercrime and crimes against children. “Like many aspects of our lives, crime has moved online, posing threats to the finances of Iowa families, and threatening the safety of Iowa children,” Gregg stated. “Iowa needs an Attorney General who understands this trend, and who will take action to address it.” These divisions will allow the Attorney General’s office to share resources with local law enforcement and county attorneys statewide to bring these criminals justice. These divisions will also focus on educating the public regarding actions that can be taken to protect online safety.
Cyber-bullying legislation. As Attorney General, Gregg will support efforts to improve Iowa’s cyber-bullying laws. Gregg will support commonsense reforms to better ensure students feel safe at school, to better empower parents, to protect free speech rights, and to clarify school authority.
ICE detainers. The current Attorney General has advised county attorneys to ignore detainer orders received from federal immigration officials. As a recent case from California illustrates, these suspected illegal immigrants who are released from custody when such detainer orders are ignored often go on to commit serious crimes. “As Attorney General, I will rescind the bad legal advice provided by the current Attorney General, and provide practical alternatives which will protect public safety and individual rights, while upholding the rule of law,” Gregg noted.
Iowa Farmers
Challenge our out of control federal government. Gregg will take a leading role in aggressively pushing back on the federal government when rules and regulations harm Iowa farmers and Iowa businesses. For example, Gregg will aggressively challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed power grab under the Clean Water Act. “The goal of clean water can be achieved without federal government overreach,” Gregg stated. “I will hold the federal government’s feet to the fire, to ensure they have statutory and constitutional authority for any action they take.”
Combat threats from other states. Gregg will take the lead when Iowa agriculture is threatened by other states. For example, California is threatening to regulate Iowa egg farmers out of business. Our current Attorney General refused to join a case challenging those regulations as unconstitutional. Gregg will join that case in the name of the Iowa Department of Justice immediately upon taking office. Gregg stated, “I will vigilantly fight for Iowa agriculture and Iowa businesses in whatever jurisdiction they are threatened.”
“AG4AG is not just a slogan in my campaign for Attorney General. It is also a promise to fight every day for Iowa agriculture,” said Gregg.
Constitutional Freedoms
Civil forfeiture. “Iowa’s civil forfeiture laws can deprive an innocent person of their property without due process of law. One should be considered innocent until proven guilty – but our civil forfeiture laws often turn this principle on its head,” Gregg noted. The Iowa Legislature should consider reforms to ensure Iowans do not have the burden to prove their innocence in order to regain their lawfully owned property. The Legislature should also consider removing any appearance that law enforcement is self-interested in seizing property, by requiring funds or assets seized to be used for non-law enforcement purposes.
Open Government
Accessibility. Gregg has traveled to all 99 counties during this campaign, and will do so every year after he is elected. Gregg stated, “If the Attorney General serves as Iowa’s lawyer, he ought to meet with his clients – the people of Iowa.”
Open meetings and open records. Gregg will support improvements to Iowa’s open meeting and open records laws, including those suggested recently by the Iowa Public Information Board. He will also support making personnel disciplinary records accessible to the public in serious cases, as considered by the Iowa Legislature during the 2014 session. “Too often, our current Attorney General stands in the way of releasing public information, and stands on the sidelines when improvements are being considered,” Gregg stated. “As Attorney General, I will err on the side of openness and transparency.”
Smaller, more efficient government
Comprehensive review. Gregg will lead a comprehensive review of Iowa’s boards, commissions, and occupational licensures. “While many licensures protect the health and safety of the public, many simply serve to protect entrenched interests by creating artificial barriers to entry into the economic marketplace,” Gregg stated. Gregg will develop recommendations for which boards, commissions, and licensures can be combined, streamlined, or even eliminated.
“After 32 years in office, Tom Miller hasn’t detailed what he would like to accomplish in the next four years. I’ve set forth policy prescriptions I will begin to implement on Day 1 as Iowa’s Attorney General,” Gregg noted.“These are the issues I’ve been talking about throughout this campaign, and the response I’ve gotten from the Mississippi to the Missouri has been crystal clear: Iowans are ready for a new Attorney General, and one that will work for them,” Gregg stated.