Statewide Iowa (RI) — Lying about academic credentials would become a crime in Iowa under a bill that’s been approved by a House subcommittee.
Representative Dean Fisher drafted the bill after former Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested by ICE agents and false claims on his job application came to light. Roberts had completed some coursework at Morgan State University, but claimed he had a doctorate from the Baltimore, Maryland school.
Representative Fisher says his bill is meant to address cases, like the one involving Roberts, that are egregious.
If the bill becomes law, a person convicted of claiming a false credential when seeking personal gain, like applying for a job, could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and fined as much as $10,000.
Representative Mary Madison, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the bill is not specific enough and the penalties are too severe.
KIWA Staff Photo
