In May 2012, Sydney Kronkow—now a third-year law student at Drake University—landed a legislative internship with the Title Guaranty Division of the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA). As part of her internship, Sydney was assigned the task of reviewing and redrafting Chapter 16.92 of the Iowa Code, which governs the Title Guaranty’s Mortgage Release Certificate Program. The program was enacted in 1999 and had not been updated effectively since then.
Kronkow was instrumental in the redrafting process, and she also played a key role in lobbying work groups, including the Iowa State Bar Association and the Iowa Bankers Association, in order to build support for the bill. After extensive research into other state statutes and uniform codes, Kronkow drafted and redrafted the bill, finalizing the language with the help of the Legislative Service Agency. After the governor approved the concept in the fall, the bill was assigned in both chambers at the beginning of the 2013 legislative session. The bill was reviewed and approved by four subcommittees and four full committees before it passed unanimously in the Senate (50-0), the House (90-0). Kronkow had the opportunity to be part of the bill signing with Governor Terry Branstad who commended her for her work in researching, drafting, and lobbying the bill.
“The program and my legislative internship at Title Guaranty provided me with a terrific opportunity to engage in the lawmaking process first-hand,” says Kronkow. “Watching Governor Branstad sign SF 445 into Iowa law was a highlight of my tenure at Drake Law.”
Drake Law School is known for providing students with a variety of experiential learning opportunities. For more information, contact John Edwards at 515-271-2141 or john.edwards@drake.edu.