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BLOOMFIELD, IOWA -- Iowa lawmakers are back at home after a grueling legislative session in Des Moines.

Since day one, elected officials knew they had a lot on their plate.

Besides balancing the budget, many legislators, like St. Rep. Kurt Swaim, had a number of things on their own agendas.

Swaim was a driving force behind the passage of a law that he's been working on for seven years.

"We had the Private Right of Action for Consumer Fraud so that Iowa consumers can bring claim, just like the consumers in the other 49 states, under the Consumer Fraud Act. So, I think that that did bring protection to consumers," Swaim said.

Swaim told KTVO that prior to the new law, the Attorney General's Office enforced the state’s consumer fraud legislation.

The office, however, was overloaded with all of the complaints.

The new legislation wasn't everything Swaim imagined, but he said it was a big step forward.

“That was a major commitment of mine going into the session and I was thankful that we were able to accomplish that this year for Iowans,” Swaim said.

In a statement, Attorney General Tom Miller said,”This bill gives protections to older Iowans, and to all consumers who might be cheated when they buy used cars, contract for home repairs, or get a home mortgage.”

According to Swaim, Attorney General Miller has been working on this legislation for nineteen years.

Iowa was the only state that didn’t allow individuals to sue businesses if they had been defrauded.