DES MOINES—Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today defended Iowa family farms and businesses against a costly mandate, the so-called Corporate Transparency Act, which threatens to make them close up shop.

Iowa farms and businesses face new national registration requirements as part of the unconstitutional mandate. Some family-owned farms and businesses have been operating for decades without having to give their private information to the federal government—and many may not know these new requirements exist. If a farmer or business-owner innocently fails to hand over that data, they could rack up tens of thousands—even hundreds of thousands—of dollars in fines. These massive fines could shut down Iowa family businesses.

“For many Iowa families, their business isn’t just their job but their livelihood,” said Attorney General Bird. “We are talking about local mom-and-pop shops and farms that have been passed down through families for generations. Iowans spend decades building these businesses from the ground up. They shouldn’t have their livelihoods flipped upside down by an unconstitutional mandate.”

Iowa and the other states support the federal district court’s ruling that the mandate is unconstitutional. They make the case that the mandate is a power grab that undermines States’ primary roles to regulate businesses within their borders.

Iowa joined the West Virginia, Kansas, and South Carolina-led brief, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Read the full brief here.

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For More Information:

Alyssa Brouillet | Communications Director

(515) 823-9112

alyssa.brouillet@ag.iowa.gov