Subcommittees in the Iowa House of Representatives advanced three bills targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives on Monday, continuing a legislative push by Republican lawmakers to limit such programs across the state.
The bills, if passed, would affect K-12 school districts in the state, DEI offices, and higher education institutions, part of a broader effort to restrict how DEI concepts are implemented in classrooms and on campuses.
Each piece of legislation has sparked partisan debate, with Republican lawmakers expressing support as a way to ensure compliance with state law and prevent what they describe as “politically charged instruction,” while Democrats and education advocates warn the bills could hinder efforts to address systemic inequalities and limit academic freedom.
Modifying punishments for DEI trainings provided by school districts
House File 2123 advanced Monday, aimed at expanding enforcement regarding rules about banned DEI offices as well as training programs and curriculums used by school districts. The bill provides legal clarification to state agencies on how to handle employees who violate prohibited DEI programs.
Melissa Peterson, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association, said the organization is registered in opposition of the bill. She pointed to House File 802, passed in 2021, which established DEI training requirements for government agencies, school districts, and public postsecondary institutions.
RELATED: Bill advances prohibiting nonprivate schools from providing curriculum related to sexual orientation
Peterson said the association does not oppose enforcing existing law but argued the proposed bill would impose harsher penalties related to DEI training and offices.
Margaret Buckton, lobbyist from the Urban Education Network of Iowa and Rural School Advocates of Iowa, said both organizations are registered opposed to the bill. Buckton said the legislation lacks a clear process for identifying violations, retraining staff, and allowing for continuous improvement.
“We have student achievement gaps where we report differences in achievement based on race, and have to have in our school improvement plans ways to address that,” Buckton said.
Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids, was the only lawmaker in the subcommittee to oppose the bill. She said efforts to roll back DEI policies have already harmed many students.
“Unfortunately, the ramifications of the push for anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion has impacted almost all of our student populations, particularly in schools that serve a lot of students that meet the free and reduced lunch threshold,” Ramirez said.
Reps. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, and Henry Stone, R-Forest City, voted to advance the bill.
Shipley said feedback from constituents reflects concerns about political content being introduced by faculty in classrooms.
“If the feedback I’m getting is that educators don’t know whether or not they can talk about Martin Luther King, we have a very serious problem here, and those people probably should get their licenses taken away if they can’t even take the time to read state law that’s governing them,” he said.
Restricting DEI offices at certain private colleges
House Study Bill 537, if passed, would prohibit private colleges that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing DEI offices.
Jeff Anderson, a lobbyist from the Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church, said the organization is registered as opposed to the bill because many private colleges in Iowa are affiliated with various Methodist denominations.
“These schools have not implemented programs in support of diversity, equity and inclusion because they were required to do so, but because doing so aligned with their strongly held beliefs and supported their goal of having all their students succeed,” he said.
Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, voted to move the bill forward and said the goal of the bill isn’t to completely eliminate DEI from private colleges.
“Private institutions could continue to have DEI offices if they choose,” he said. “They just would not get to receive the Iowa tuition grant taxpayer money.”
Prohibiting DEI curriculum at regent universities
Lawmakers also advanced House Study Bill 524, banning DEI and critical race theory content in general education courses at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, opposed the bill and said restricting course content could lead to misunderstandings and further legislative efforts to expand similar bans. He also criticized the rhetoric surrounding the legislation, labeling it as a “stop woke act” that does not contribute to a respectful or productive climate.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, voted to advance the bill and said legislation is needed to prevent miscommunication in the classroom from being spread to social media and then to a legislator.