By Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register
- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law restricting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public higher education institutions, local government and other state entities.
- The law, effective July 1, prohibits funding for DEI offices and staff, and bans promotion of certain concepts related to race, gender, and identity.
- The law aligns Iowa with other GOP-led states following similar actions President Donald Trump has taken to dismantle DEI since returning to office.
Governmental entities and public higher education institutions in Iowa face sweeping restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts under a bill Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law.
The new law, House File 856, puts Iowa among other GOP-led states that have joined President Donald Trump’s push to dismantle DEI across the public sector and pressure the private sector to follow suit with executive orders he signed Jan. 20, just hours after taking office.
Iowa’s law, which Reynolds signed May 27, takes effect July 1.
Since Trump’s return to the White House, nine other states have enacted anti-DEI laws, USA Today reported May 15. Even more have passed a bill through at least one chamber.
In a 34-16 vote on party lines, the Iowa Senate on May 9 passed the bill, with the House passing the measure a second time in a 59-32 vote on May 13. The House had to sign off on Senate-approved changes that left out private higher education institutions from the new restrictions.
Republicans say the measure refocuses Iowa’s higher education system on workforce training and dismantling DEI initiatives they say perpetuate prejudice, at the same time championing proposals they say would promote intellectual diversity at college campuses they complain are filled with left-leaning students and faculty.
Democrats have pushed back, saying it would drive people away from Iowa and worsen the state’s worker shortage. They have argued that DEI programs provide necessary resources for students that make them more likely to succeed.
When the House first passed the bill in March, Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, who is Asian American, said he understands what minorities go through and has experienced prejudice, and that’s why he felt people shouldn’t be taught to look at the color of someone’s skin before anything else.
“DEI creates divisiveness and animosity toward one another,” Stone said. “At the end of the day, we’re all the human race made up of different colors and ethnicities and backgrounds.”
What does House File 856 do?
The new law extends restrictions on DEI initiatives that lawmakers in 2024 placed on the state’s three public universities governed by the Iowa Board of Regents to community colleges. State agencies, cities, counties and other political subdivisions also face the DEI restrictions.
These governmental agencies are barred from spending any money appropriated by the state or from any other sources to establish or support a DEI office or DEI employee.
The law bars any effort to “promote or promulgate policies and procedures designed or implemented to encourage preferential treatment of or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity.”
It also blocks efforts to promote “a policy, program, training, practice, activity, or procedure referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, anti-racism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege” or related concepts.
The Senate removed House-backed language that would have blocked private colleges and universities from participating in the Iowa Tuition Grant financial aid program if they operate a DEI office.
The Iowa Tuition Grant is awarded to Iowa residents attending one of the state’s private colleges or universities based on financial need.
Democrats say DEI is ‘how we compete’ as a state
Democratic legislators in the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus led the charge to oppose the measure in the House, urging their colleagues in the chamber to vote against the various DEI measures.
They said DEI had become “a punchline and weapon in the culture wars,” though it benefits all.
Rep. Rob Johnson, D-Des Moines, said May 13 that DEI efforts open the door for people, especially within higher education institutions.
“DEI makes sure that just because you didn’t grow up in the right zip code or speak with the right accent that you still have a place at the table, so let’s stop acting like this is a charity,” Johnson said. “Let’s stop acting like DEI is a strategy. This is how we compete going into the future.”
Senate Democrats joined them in condemning the “chilling effect” this legislation could have on free speech and on attracting people to the state.
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said during May 9 floor debate that Iowa needs to recruit and retain workers while most fields struggle with worker shortages.
“We should be encouraging and supporting everyone to contribute their talents to our state,” Trone Garriott said. “We need everyone in Iowa to be living to their fullest potential. We need new people coming here. We need to hold onto our young people so that they build a life here in Iowa, but this legislation shuts down efforts to bring new and diverse people into our higher education institutions and job training.”
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