Iowa Code § 8A.706 (2026)

1. As used in this subchapter, “state historical society” means a membership organization of the department that is open to members of the general public who are interested in the history of the state.

2. The state historical society board of trustees shall recommend to the director rules for membership of the general public in the state historical society, including rules relating to membership fees. Members shall be persons who indicate an interest in the history, progress, and development of the state and who pay the prescribed fee. The members of the state historical society may meet at least one time per year to further the understanding of the history of this state. The members of the society shall not determine policy for the department as it relates to the historical resources of the state but may advise the director and perform functions to stimulate interest in the history of this state among the general public. The society may perform other activities related to history which are not contrary to this subchapter.

3. Unless designated otherwise, an application for membership in the state historical society, or a gift, bequest, devise, endowment, or grant to the state historical society or the department as it relates to the historical resources of the state shall be presumed to be to or in the department.

4. Notwithstanding section 633.63, the board may enter into agreements authorizing nonprofit foundations acting solely for the support of the state historical society or the department to administer the membership program of the state historical society and funds of the state historical society or the department as it relates to the historical resources of the state. [C73, §1902; C97, §2884; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §4544; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, §304.3; C75, 77, 79, 81, §303.3, 303.4; 82 Acts, ch 1238, §5] C83, §303.4 86 Acts, ch 1245, §1307 C87, §303.7 89 Acts, ch 78, §3; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §1404, 1424 C2024, §8A.706 \n 8A.707 Powers and duties of board and department.

1. The state historical society board of trustees shall:

a. Recommend to the state historical society a comprehensive, coordinated, and efficient \n Tue Dec 09 22:34:30 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 8A (159, 2) 77 DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, §8A.708\n\npolicy to preserve, research, interpret, and promote to the public an awareness and understanding of local, state, and regional history.

b. Make recommendations to the director on historically related matters.

c. Review and recommend to the director or the director’s designee policy decisions regarding the department as it relates to the historical resources of the state.

d. Recommend to the state historic preservation officer for approval the state preservation plan.

e. Perform other functions prescribed by law to further historically related matters in the state.

f. Serve as the central advisory body for historical records planning in the state and as a coordinating body to facilitate cooperation among historical records repositories and other information agencies within the state.

g. Serve as a state level review body for grant proposals submitted to the national historical publications and records commission.

2. The department shall:

a. Have authority to acquire by fee simple title historic properties by gift, purchase, devise, or bequest; preserve, restore, transfer, and administer historic properties; and charge reasonable admission to historic properties.

b. Maintain research centers in Des Moines and Iowa City.

3. The department may:

a. By rule, establish advisory groups necessary for the receipt of federal funds or grants or the administration of any of the department’s programs relating to the historical resources of the state.

b. Develop and implement fee-based educational programming opportunities, including preschool programs, related to arts, history, and other cultural matters for Iowans of all ages.

4. The state historical society board of trustees may:

a. Serve in an advisory capacity to the state records commission, the state archives and records program, and other statewide archival or records agencies.

b. Seek moneys from the national historical publications and records commission or other grant-funding bodies for sponsoring and publishing surveys of the conditions and needs of historical records in the state; for developing, revising, and distributing funding priorities for historical records projects in Iowa; for implementing projects to be carried out in the state for the preservation of historical records and publications; or for reviewing, through reports and otherwise, the operation and progress of records projects in the state. [C73, §1902; C97, §2858, 2884; S13, §2881-a; C24, 27, 31, 35, §4515 – 4517, 4544; C39, §4541.03, 4544; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, §303.3, 304.3; C75, 77, 79, 81, §303.4, 303.5; 82 Acts, ch 1238, §7] C83, §303.6 86 Acts, ch 1245, §1309 C87, §303.8 89 Acts, ch 78, §4; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §106; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §1405, 1406, 1424 C2024, §8A.707 2024 Acts, ch 1170, §131, 132 Additional board duties, see §103A.41 and §103A.45 \n