Iowa lawmakers on the House Higher Education Committee advanced a pair of bills focused on eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in private universities and community colleges Wednesday.
The bills would prohibit DEI offices in Iowa’s community colleges. They would also require private universities that receive Iowa Tuition Grant funding to close their DEI offices for programs to continue receiving state funding.
The bills would return the focus of higher education to merit rather than DEI, committee chair Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, said.
“Elections have consequences, and this last November, Iowans resoundingly rejected identity politics, not only at the state of Iowa, but also across this country,” Collins said. “The worst of which were the DEI bureaucracies across the state and country, which we are now closing. They have attacked merit, and I believe they have sought to divide Americans more than ever.”
The bills come after Iowa lawmakers codified the Iowa Board of Regents’ directives to eliminate diversity programs at the state’s three regent universities last year.
The legislation passed out of committee along party lines, 7-4.
House Minority Leader Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said she is opposed to the legislation because it is dictating the policies of a private business that might receive state funding but isn’t under the state’s direct purview.
“I’m always surprised to see that we’re butting into private businesses, even if they receive tax dollars,” Konfrst said. “It’s fascinating to me that we’ve decided to take student money and take that away because of the actions of a private business.”
Lawmakers also advanced a bill to add DEI requirements for regent universities to community colleges. The bill, House Study Bill 61, passed the committee in a party-line vote, 7-4.
Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, criticized the bill and said it didn’t change anything since community colleges already don’t have DEI offices.
Collins said the committee is moving forward with the bill to codify the ban on DEI.