Photo courtesy of Charles Abel

In the 2026 Iowa Legislative session, individuals in Guthrie County helped put together the SAFE KIDS ACT, which was signed into law, and became effective as of July 1st.

Guthrie County Attorney Charles Abel says that work on the bill began because he and leaders of local law enforcement saw a gap where some victims weren’t being protected, and decided it needed to change. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that that gap was the major reasoning behind getting the bill put together.

“The first aspect of it is, we want to ensure we’re protecting kids. Not only my office, but obviously with law enforcement, with Stuart Police Department, Panora Police Department, Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, and then throughout the state. When we proposed the legislation, when it got filed, the support has been overwhelming. It was overwhelming throughout the state with various law enforcement agencies. Then after it’s passing, we’ve gotten a lot of really positive feedback from other county attorney offices and law enforcement agencies.”

Abel mentions that before the SAFE KIDS ACT, there were many cases where only children under 13 years of age were protected. He adds that now that the bill is in effect, they can work to push charges in cases where any children 17 years old or younger are involved, should they be warranted.