Iowa official register

9 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH ELECTED OFFICIALS 

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL 

Hoover State Office Building, Des Moines 50319; [phone]; 

www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOM MILLER 

Attorney General 

Des Moines (D) 

Term: Expires January 2011.  Profession: Served as Iowa Attorney General, 1979-1991 and 

1995-present.  Education: Graduated valedictorian from Dubuque Wahlert High School, 1962; 

B.A., Loras College, 1966; J.D., Harvard Law School, 1969.  Memberships and Activities: 

Served in VISTA, 1969-1970.  Legislative assistant to U.S. Representative John C. Culver (D-

Iowa), 1970-1971.  Worked in the Baltimore Legal Aid Bureau as legal education director and 

taught part-time at the University of Maryland School of Law, 1971-1973.  Practiced law and 

served as city attorney in McGregor, 1973-1978.  Partner in the firm of Faegre & Benson, Des 

Moines, 1991-1994.  Member: Iowa State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the 

Sierra Club. Honorary degree from Loras College, 1979.  Distinguished Alumnus Award from 

Loras College, 1983.  Past President of National Association of Attorneys General.  Recipient of 

Wyman Award for distinguished service to the National Association of Attorneys General.  Birth 

and Residence: Born in 1944 in Dubuque.  Resides in Des Moines.  Family:  Wife, Holli Miller; 

one son, Matt. 

 

The Attorney General is a constitutional officer elected by popular vote every four years. The 

Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the state and is head of the Iowa Department of Jus-

tice. 

The powers and duties of the Office of Attorney General include representing the departments 

and agencies of state government, taking action for citizens in consumer protection and other 

areas, enforcing the state’s environmental protection laws, playing a central role in the criminal 

justice system, and providing assistance and advocacy for the victims of crime. The Attorney 

General defends all tort claim actions against the state, and issues legal opinions on questions of 

law submitted by elected or appointed state officials and county attorneys. 

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IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

 

The Attorney General represents state agencies in court and gives them legal advice on ques-

tions of law. The Attorney General also represents the state in other actions and proceedings 

when, in the Attorney General’s judgment, the best interests of the state require it, or when re-

quested to appear by the Governor or Executive Council. 

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division enforces state consumer protection stat-

utes and works to inform citizens so they can avoid being cheated by “con artists.” The Farm 

Division provides consumer protection and legal advocacy for farmers. The Department of Justice 

also includes the Office of Consumer Advocate, which represents the interests of consumers in 

regulated utility cases before the Iowa Utilities Board. 

The Attorney General plays a key role in criminal law on several fronts:  handling all criminal 

appeals from the 99 counties to the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals, prosecuting cases at the 

request of county attorneys, providing training to prosecuting attorneys, and proposing changes in 

state criminal statutes. 

The Attorney General’s Crime Victim Assistance Division is the primary state-level agency 

responsible for aiding and advocating for victims of crime. The division’s Crime Victim Compen-

sation and Sexual Abuse Examination Payment programs award over $6 million a year to victims 

of violent crimes such as rape, assault, and drunk driving, and to survivors of homicide victims. 

(The funds come entirely from fines and penalties paid by criminals.) The division also distributes 

about $9 million each year to local victim service programs throughout Iowa, administers the 

Iowa Crisis Response Team, and operates IowaVINE, an automated victim information and noti-

fication system. 

Attorney General Miller has led multistate actions and working groups on tobacco issues, anti-

trust enforcement, agriculture, and consumer protection.  He and the attorney generals of 46 other 

states settled a lawsuit against the tobacco industry that has returned billions of dollars to the 

states. 

In recent years, Attorney General Miller especially has been a leader on mortgage foreclosure 

issues at the state and national levels.  He was the lead attorney general in the nation’s two largest 

consumer fraud mortgage cases (Household Finance, $484 million nationwide, and Ameriquest, 

$295 million nationwide).  He founded the Iowa Foreclosure Hotline, which became the Iowa 

Mortgage Help Hotline, and he is leader of the Multi-State Foreclosure Prevention Working 

Group. 

 

See chapter 4 for information regarding the Department of Justice. 

 

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EXECUTIVE BRANCH ELECTED OFFICIALS 

 

AUDITOR OF STATE 

State Capitol, Des Moines 50319; [phone]; 

www.auditor.iowa.gov 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAVID A. VAUDT, CPA 

Auditor of State 

West Des Moines (R) 

Term: Expires January 2011.  Profession: Auditor of State since 2003. Employed with KPMG 

(formerly Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.) beginning in 1976; became a partner in 1988; and re-

tired from the firm in 2001.  Education:  B.S. in accounting, Upper Iowa University, 1976; CPA, 

1977.  Memberships and Activities: Served on the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board from 

1994 through 2002, including serving as chair of the board from 1995-2002. Served on the Board 

of Directors of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) from 1995 

through 2004 and chaired the Examinations Committee, the Public Perceptions Committee, and 

the Regulatory Structures Committee. Served as chair of NASBA in 2003-2004. Member of the 

National State Auditors Association; the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, 

and Treasurers; the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; the Iowa Society of Certi-

fied Public Accountants; the Association of Government Accountants; and the Des Moines Ro-

tary Club. Has served on various community and civic boards.  Birth and Residence: Born in  

1953 in Livermore. Resides in West Des Moines. Family Members: Wife, Jeanie.

 

 

 

The Auditor of State is the “taxpayer’s watchdog.”  As provided by the Iowa Constitution, the 

Auditor is elected to a four-year term. 

The Auditor is required to annually audit each department of state government and report its 

financial condition.  The Auditor is also to report whether funds were expended for the intended 

purposes, whether department activities were efficiently conducted, any illegal or unbusinesslike 

practices, and make recommendations for greater simplicity, accuracy, and efficiency in the op-

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