Iowa legislative roundup: Health care, school book bans and more from week 6 at the statehouse
Another busy week at the Iowa statehouse is wrapping up.
Here's what to know about newly introduced bills, the governor's health care proposal and more. Watch the video above for the full story.
School book bans
School libraries and the content of books allowed in libraries have been the subject of many statehouse conversations over the past few years.
That topic returned this week.
Right now, schools and libraries are exempt from Iowa鈥檚 obscenity law. would remove that exemption.
Supporters say the bill would protect kids from inappropriate material, but opponents say it would create a chilling effect that leads to over-restriction of legal content and censorship.
The bill passed through subcommittee and committee this week. The next step would be a full vote on the Iowa House floor.
DEI in schools
Another bill House lawmakers advanced this week would ban DEI offices at Iowa state agencies, cities, counties and schools.
would give the Iowa Attorney General's Office power to sue local governments if there are complaints from the public. The bill cleared its first hurdle at the statehouse, passing subcommittee on Tuesday.
This is the latest attempt to restrict DEI efforts and programs in Iowa. Republican lawmakers have introduced several measures to make sure there are not required courses related to DEI at Iowa鈥檚 public universities.
Outdoor recreation funding
A big crowd showed up to the statehouse to weigh in on .
This goes back to 2010, when nearly 63% of Iowa voters approved the creation of an outdoor recreation fund. They wanted state money to go toward improving soil and water quality and increasing outdoor activities in Iowa.
Fifteen years later, lawmakers have never funded the trust.
Senate Republicans are now pitching a constitutional amendment to get rid of the recreation fund altogether and replace it with a property tax fund.
Farmers in support of this resolution say they鈥檙e already spending money on conservation. They want a fund that will instead go towards lowering their property taxes, which they say are getting too expensive to be afford keeping their farm in the family.
But opponents of the resolution say Iowa voters asked for money towards outdoor recreation 15 years ago and lawmakers need to follow through on that promise.
This bill advanced through subcommittee, but it has a long way to go. It would need to pass the full Iowa House and Senate this year and again next year, and it would still need approval from Iowa voters on the 2028 ballot.
Reynolds' child care bill
Gov. Kim Reynolds had a few of her proposals advance through subcommittee this week, including bills to improve access to health care in rural and expand access to childcare.
Her child care bill, , would launch a $16 million grant program that would go to preschools and day care centers if they work together to provide all day care. That could include a school hiring a child care worker to watch kids after their preschool program until their parents can pick them up, or hiring transportation to take kids from preschool to a child care center.
The bill would also provide free child care for child care workers.
Reynolds' health care bill
Reynolds' health care proposal, , includes a ton of changes.
It directs the department of Health and Human Services to draw down about $150 million in federal funding. That money would help create about 115 new residency slots at Iowa鈥檚 teaching hospitals.
Hospitals administrators from rural Iowa came to the statehouse Tuesday, saying that doctors are likely to stay where they do their residency. That means this bill could help bring more doctors to rural Iowa.
Pregnancy and fetal development teaching in schools
Also on Tuesday, the full Senate passed a bill that would require students in grades 4 through 12 to watch videos and animations of human development in every stage of a pregnancy. says it would be "age-appropriate and research-based instruction."
Democrats say the bill would bring political bias into the classroom. Republicans say the videos and animations would be based on facts, not politics.
A different version of the bill made it through the House last year but never made it through the Senate. That bill specifically referenced the "Baby Olivia" video created by the anti-abortion group Live Action.
The bill passed by Senate lawmakers Tuesday makes no mention of a specific video.
Increasing penalties for bringing a minor to a drag show
Tuesday was such a busy day at the statehouse. It also brought people protesting , which would make a felony to bring a child to a drag show.
LGBTQ advocates argue the bill's definition of "drag show" is too broad and could violate the rights of transgender individuals. Supporters of the bill argue it is necessary to "protect children" from "sexually themed performances."
The Republican leading the subcommittee did say she plans to make changes to tighten the bill鈥檚 language and that the bill was not intended to limit 鈥減erfectly acceptable鈥 art performances.
Immigration enforcement policy
A bill that would require local law enforcement agencies to participate in federal immigration enforcement also brought some fiery debate to the statehouse Thursday.
did advance through subcommittee, but some opponents called it an unfunded mandate that would strain the limited resources of local law enforcement and break trust with the local community. Supporters say the bill is necessary to restore the rule of law.
They say this would help stop violent criminals that came across the southern border and keep Iowa communities safe.
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