Laws on access to government meetings and records are often called "Sunshine" laws or "Freedom of Information Acts." In Iowa, such laws more typically are referred to as "the open meetings law," which is Iowa Code Chapter 21, and "the open records law," which is Iowa Code Chapter 22. The intent of Chapter 21 is made clear in its opening lines: "This chapter seeks to assure...that the basis and rationale of government decisions, as well as those decisions themselves, are easily accessible to the people. Ambiguity in the construction or application of this chapter should be resolved in favor of openness."

Although a school board, city council or similar agency may close a meeting in certain situations, the law makes it clear that closure is an option, not a requirement: "Nothing in this section requires a governmental body to hold a closed session to discuss or act upon any matter."

Chapter 22, the records law, has a similar emphasis on opennness: "...free and open examination of public records is generally in the public interest even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment to public officials or others."