Education

in committee · Iowa · House Jan 28, 2025

HF 103: A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.

HF 103 requires Iowa's public universities and community colleges to provide reasonable accommodations to students who are pregnant or recently gave birth. This includes allowing rescheduling of assignments and exams, granting up to 12 months for completing coursework or degrees (or longer if medically necessary), and permitting leave of absence without penalty. Institutions must also maintain written policies, post protections online, assign a staff contact for pregnancy-related support, and allow students to keep housing during leave. The law mandates that schools cannot force students to withdraw or limit participation due to pregnancy and establishes a complaint process through the Attorney General.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires accommodations for pregnant students in higher ed, ensuring educational continuity without penalty. Directly protects access and retention for affected students.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 30, 2025

SSB 1022: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to shared operational functions and school district supplementary weighting.

This bill modifies Iowa school funding rules for districts sharing certain staff services. It changes which staff positions count toward a school district's annual funding limit of 21 "additional pupils" in their budget. Starting July 1, 2025, funding for master social workers, independent social workers, mental health professionals, and school resource officers will no longer count toward this limit. This allows districts to hire more of these staff members without reducing their total funding allocation for other programs. The bill directly affects Iowa public school districts receiving shared-service funding under current law.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExcludes mental health/social staff from budget caps, enabling districts to hire more without reducing total funding for essential school services.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllows districts to hire more mental health/social staff without counting toward funding limits, expanding access to student support services without reducing overall school budgets.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly removes funding limits for mental health professionals in schools, enabling increased hiring without budget reduction, directly advancing mental health services.90% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding School Safety Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 10, 2025

HSB 57: A bill for an act relating to accreditation of postsecondary educational institutions, prohibiting adverse action by accrediting agencies against certain postsecondary educational institutions for compliance with state law, providing remedies, and including effective date provisions.

This bill, the "Accreditation Autonomy Act," prohibits accrediting agencies from taking adverse actions (like revoking accreditation) against Iowa public colleges and universities for complying with state law or refusing to violate it. It defines "accrediting agency" as a non-governmental entity and "public institution of higher education" as state-regulated colleges or community colleges. If an agency violates this rule, affected institutions can sue for injunctive relief and damages equal to the prior year's federal financial aid, plus legal fees. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProtects public colleges from accreditor penalties for complying with state law, strengthening institutional autonomy in higher education.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Financial Aid

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HSB 56: A bill for an act establishing completion of a course on American history and civil government as a requirement for the completion of a baccalaureate degree program at a public institution of higher education.

This bill requires all students at Iowa public colleges pursuing a bachelor's degree to complete a mandatory 3-credit survey course in American history and civil government starting in the 2027 academic year. The course must cover foundational U.S. government principles, historical development of republican institutions, key founding documents (like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence), landmark Supreme Court cases, and comparative government systems. It specifies required readings including the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and ensures the course fulfills social science general education requirements. Students transferring between Iowa public institutions will not need to repeat the course.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates required American history/civics course, enhancing higher education curriculum standards per bill's explicit requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 17, 2025

HSB 51: A bill for an act relating to tuition, degree programs, employment, and related matters pertaining to students enrolled at regents institutions.

HSB 51, the "College Affordability Act," requires Iowa's regents institutions to implement several affordability measures for in-state undergraduate students. It caps annual tuition and mandatory fee increases for in-state residents at 3%, mandates that first-year resident tuition remain unchanged for subsequent years (for students starting in 2026 or later), and requires each institution to offer at least one bachelor's degree program completed in three years by 2027. The bill also establishes a "work plus" program where employers cover tuition and fees during part-time employment semesters, requiring a formal agreement between students, employers, and institutions. These provisions directly affect in-state undergraduate students at Iowa's public universities and aim to reduce long-term education costs.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCaps tuition increases at 3%, freezes first-year rates, mandates 3-year degrees - enhancing affordability and access for in-state students.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 24, 2025

HF 553: A bill for an act authorizing the use of revenues from the district management levy for the employment or retention of school security personnel and including applicability provisions.

HF 553 allows Iowa school districts to use revenues from their district management levy (a local tax) to hire or keep school security personnel. Specifically, it authorizes funding for school resource officers (per federal definition), private security officers with a weapons permit, reserve peace officers, or certified peace officers. The bill applies to school budget years starting July 1, 2025, expanding the current allowable uses of this levy revenue. This change directly affects school districts seeking to fund security staffing through existing local tax revenues.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAuthorizes use of local tax revenues for school security personnel, directly enhancing school safety infrastructure within K-12 education policy.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding School Safety

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2025

HF 445: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to application periods for the education savings account program.

HF 445 modifies Iowa's education savings account program by creating two application windows for parents or guardians of eligible students attending nonpublic schools. It allows applications for the full school year (due Jan 1-June 30) or for a semester (due Dec 1-Dec 20). Applications submitted for a semester receive only 50% of the standard payment amount (instead of 100%), while school-year applications receive the full amount. The bill affects families seeking funds to cover qualified educational expenses like tuition, tutoring, or materials.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands access to education savings accounts with flexible application windows, increasing funding options for nonpublic school families while maintaining full-year funding eligibility.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 11, 2025

SF 244: A bill for an act providing for general education requirements for undergraduate students at regents institutions and including applicability provisions.

SF 244 requires Iowa's regents institutions (public universities) to establish standardized general education requirements for undergraduate students. It mandates specific credit hours: six each for English composition, world language, math/stats, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, plus three each for western heritage (e.g., Western civilization) and American heritage (e.g., American history or Iowa history), totaling no more than 40 credits. The bill prohibits courses from distorting historical events or teaching theories about systemic racism, sexism, or oppression as inherent in U.S. or Iowa institutions, while preserving academic freedom. Exceptions apply for three-year degree programs or complex majors, and anyone can report violations to the attorney general for enforcement. The requirements apply to students enrolling at regents institutions starting in academic years beginning July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates standardized curriculum requirements across disciplines, strengthening educational structure without restricting academic freedom or funding.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HSB 43: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to community college and department of education reporting requirements, the national board certification pilot project, and employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program or the Iowa school for the deaf, and including effective date provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's education policies by changing how community colleges and the Department of Education (DE) handle reporting, establishing a teacher certification pilot program, and updating employment rules for specialized education programs. It requires community colleges to submit annual financial and program data directly to DE (not the community colleges bureau) by specific deadlines, with summaries included in DE's annual report to the legislature. The bill creates a national board certification pilot for Iowa teachers, allocating $508,250 for certification awards and stipends, and updates termination procedures and compensation schedules for staff at Iowa's programs for the blind/visually impaired and the deaf. These changes affect community colleges, DE, K-12 teachers seeking certification, and employees of specialized educational programs.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates national board certification pilot for teachers and updates employment rules for specialized programs, supporting educator development and accessibility in education services.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 212: A bill for an act relating to meals, food, and beverages provided to students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools, and including applicability provisions.

HF 212 requires school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools offering breakfast or lunch programs to follow specific food standards. It mandates using natural fats and oils (like butter, olive oil, or coconut oil) instead of margarine in school meals and bans the use of certain ingredients - including artificial dyes (like blue dye 1 and red dye 40), brominated vegetable oil, and margarine - in meals served to students. The bill also prohibits selling beverages containing these banned ingredients during school functions unless sold off-site or after 30 minutes past the school day’s end. These rules apply to all schools with meal programs starting July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates healthier school meals (natural fats, bans harmful additives) to improve student nutrition, directly enhancing educational environment and student well-being.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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