News Releases - 2026 Archive

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird today released a statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Court decision vacating the injunction preventing enforcement of HF 2677, Iowa’s vape registry law:   “Illegal Chinese vapes generate over $11 billion in annual retail sales and make up more than 80% of all vape sales nationwide,” said Attorney General Bird. “China...

DES MOINES— Attorney General Brenna Bird joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general today urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen its “Know Your Customer” (KYC) rules to help prevent scammers from using the U.S. communications network to make illegal robocalls. KYC rules require phone companies to know who is making calls through their networks and...

DES MOINES—Today, Attorney General Brenna Bird announced she is leading a coalition of 13 states to defend pension plans regulated by Iowa’s Insurance Commissioner.    It is common for employers to transfer employee pensions to state-regulated insurance companies.  Here, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), a pharmaceutical company, moved their employee pension plan to Athene, an Iowa company under the regulation of the state of Iowa. Some employees of BMS sued—claiming, with no evidence, that federal government oversight is necessary to protect their interests. Their arguments threaten to disrupt exceptionally reliable state insurance regulation.    ...

DES MOINES— Attorney General Brenna Bird announced the newly-established Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force held its first official meeting today. Governor Reynolds established by executive order the 11-member task force to enhance efficiency and safeguard taxpayer dollars within Iowa's Medicaid program.  The task force is chaired by Attorney General Bird and brings together leaders from state departments, law enforcement, and Iowa's managed care...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird today joined a coalition of 42 attorneys general announcing a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe, resolving allegations stemming from a 2023 data breach that compromised the genetic data of 6.9 million customers worldwide.   Due to the finite amount of funds in the bankruptcy...

DES MOINES—In a report issued today, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the June 10, 2026, fatal shooting of Michael Douglas Zurek by a Deputy U.S. Marshal was legally justified.  The Attorney General’s conclusion was based on a review and investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The investigation found that on June 10, 2026, members...

PUBLIC NOTICE OF MEETING IOWA MEDICAID FRAUD ELIMINATION TASK FORCE Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Time: 11:00 AM CDT Location: 200 East Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50319 (DOM Main Conference Room, 2nd Floor) Due to limited seating capacity, the public is urged to attend virtually at: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MGNlM2UyMTItZmNkOC00ZjA4LWFjNTktOTNlYzllNTY0MmFj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22af5fa057-d92d-4799-9857-ab5d6d03669f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f3c6d46f-2d5a-48b6-b050-8557b6cd5053%22%7d TENTATIVE AGENDA...

DES MOINES— Attorney General Brenna Bird and 48 other attorneys general today called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen rules that would cut off scammers’ access to legitimate telephone numbers. Without that access, scammers can’t use real numbers to deceive and scam Iowans. The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force asked the FCC to work on...

DES MOINES—In a report issued today, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the June 1, 2026, fatal shooting of Austin Mark by Polk County Sheriff’s deputies was legally justified.   The Attorney General’s conclusion was based on a review and investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The investigation found that on the afternoon...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced a decisive victory to stop the nation’s largest advertising agencies—known as the “Big Six”—from unlawfully manipulating the digital public square and suppressing free speech.   The Big Six are the world’s largest advertising, marketing, and media-buying holding companies who control hundreds of individual agencies and billions of dollars in global annual ad spend.  Starting in 2018, these advertising...