Polarizing Bills Continue to Take Up Time at State Capitol
This article was written by LWVIA Intern Makenna Hovey, a Drake University student.
Recently, there have been a handful of bills dealing with abortion, transgender rights, and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). So much has been done on these issues over the past three years that you rightfully probably thought we were done with them. Not so (and we could add attacks on libraries, gun laws, and people born in other countries to the list).
Abortion Related Bills are nothing new in Iowa, considering the state has been red-leaning and the Fetal Heartbeat Law was enacted roughly a year and a half ago. Sadly, a few have already made it through the first deadline:
SSB 3115 and HF 2563 are abortion bills that not only ban the use of telehealth for medication abortions, but also impact the information doctors are required to tell patients before performing an abortion, information that is medically unproven and could put a woman’s health at serious risk. These bills require what supports call “informed consent” when being prescribed abortion-induced drugs and require reporting on abortion drug-induced complications.
These bills would require doctors to let a patient know that they have the ability to reverse an abortion after taking mifepristone or misoprostol. This idea of “reversing an abortion” was made after a single doctor “performed” reverse abortions on a handful of women without going through proper human trial protocols. Respected medical organizations have debunked this “treatment” and have said it can create serious complications. Requiring physicians and other medical personnel to lie to a woman about unproven and unsafe procedures violates their professional ethics. This gives many abortion doctors the ultimatum of choosing between their ethics or spreading false information.
SSB 3115 was pulled from the last Senate Judiciary Committee agenda before the first funnel deadline, so it will not advance. Unfortunately, HF 2563 passed out of the House committee on a nearly party line vote (one Republican voted against). It is on the House Calendar and a live round until the next deadline (March 20).
Besides abortions bills there are a few Anti DEI and Anti Transgender bills that we have had our eye on.
HF 2541 is a bill that further limits protections for transgender individuals’ rights. This bill builds on last year’s changes to the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965. This Act prohibits a local government from establishing a civil rights ordinance or law that is broader than the state law (i.e. no local protections for transgender Iowans). Supporters of this bill said that this puts local ordinances in line with Iowa’s civil rights laws. Opponents say it is a mean-spirited attack on transgender Iowans and targets communities who are trying to protect their rights. The bill is out of committee and has cleared the funnel deadline.
HF 2123 establishes mandatory consequences for state entities and school districts that violate existing prohibitions on DEI offices/staff and bans on DEI materials in educational curricula and trainings. If a violation is proven in court, the individual responsible and their knowing supervisor must be terminated, and professional licenses or certifications are subject to mandatory revocation. This bill also imposes significant civil penalties on schools districts and governmental agencies that violate the anti-DEI laws. Fortunately this bill was pulled from the House Education Committee agenda this week and will not make it through funnel.
Two other bills made it through the funnel. HF 2488 adds a new requirement for private colleges participating in the Iowa tuition grant program: they must not establish, sustain, support, or staff DEI offices. Non-compliant institutions may lose eligibility for the tuition grant program until corrective action is taken. This is really targeting Drake University and Grinnell College, who have publicly doubled down on supporting diversity, equity and inclusion on their campuses.
HF 2487 expands the Attorney General’s authority to investigate and enforce restrictions on DEI and critical race theory-related activities by state entities and public higher education institutions. The attorney general would be allowed to subpoena documents, seek court enforcement, and hire special counsel (with costs reimbursed by the investigated entity). The state Board of Regents is also directed to review and potentially eliminate undergraduate course requirements containing DEI or CRT content by fall 2028.
There are many more of these bills in the LWVIA’s bill tracker, so check it frequently!