Attorney General Brenna Bird announced that Katie’s Law has passed out of the Judiciary Committee in the Iowa House of Representatives. The bill, which is one of Bird’s legislative priorities for 2026, received bipartisan support.
Katie’s Law mandates DNA collection from individuals arrested for felony or aggravated misdemeanor offenses. Similar laws have already been enacted in more than 30 states and at the federal level. The legislation aims to provide law enforcement and cold case units with tools to identify suspects, solve crimes faster, and help prevent repeat offenses.
“No criminal should ever get away with murder, rape, or any violent crime,” said Attorney General Bird. “We need to give law enforcement the tools they need to investigate and bring violent criminals to justice. That’s why we want Katie’s Law in Iowa — to collect DNA at arrests for felonies and aggravated misdemeanors, so law enforcement can catch violent criminals like Katie Sepich’s killer.”
Ashley Spence, founder of the DNA Justice Project and an advocate for Katie’s Law, met with House members earlier this month to support the bill. Spence stated: “On behalf of victims everywhere, I want to thank Attorney General Brenna Bird for championing justice, protection, and real change in Iowa through Katie’s Law. It breaks my heart that Katie Sepich can’t tell her own story. We were two young women in the prime of our lives—her at 22, me at 19—struck by horrific violence just weeks apart in 2003. Tragically, Katie didn’t survive. She was raped, murdered, her body set on fire, and dumped in a field. The only evidence left was DNA under her fingernails because she fought so fiercely for her life. If Iowa passes this law, we honor Katie by ensuring no other family endures years of agony while violent offenders slip through the cracks. We can prevent Iowa’s daughters from suffering what I did—or worse, what Katie did.”
The full text of the bill is available online.
