Six members of the Iowa House and Senate - all Democrats - have sent a letter to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and attorneys general in 22 other states to ask whether new international trade deals will affect the ability of states to legislate in the public interest.

 The letter refers to deals being negotiated by the U.S. Trade Representative, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is intended to enhance trade and investment in the nine  partnership countries, including the United States.  Thirty-seven legislators from other states have also signed the letter, which they said seeks insight  into agreements they believe are being developed in a shroud of secrecy. The letter is also addressed to the National Association of Attorneys General.

The Iowa signers include Reps. Chuck Isenhart of Dubuque, Curt Hanson of Fairfield, Marti Anderson of Des Moines and Dan Kelley of Newton, plus Sens. William Dotzler of Waterloo  and Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City. The letter was coordinated through the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL).

Isenhart said  he has concerns whether Iowa's continued support for the biofuels industry could come under outside attack under provisions of the Trans-Pacific Pacific Partnership. In addition, questions have been raised about the defensibility of tobacco prevention policies and consumer protections, he said.

"I have heard presentations on this topic at other meetings of state legislators over the past two years," Isenhart added. "Alarm bells continue to go off, so we think the most responsible way to intervene is to engage our chief legal officers and to seek their expertise and analysis."

Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for Attorney General Miller, said Wednesday night that Miller shares concerns about how the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement could, for example, impact Iowa's ability to regulate tobacco products.  "We will review the concerns that several state legislators have brought to our attention, and we look forward to discussing them,"  he said.