By Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register
- The Iowa Senate passed a House bill restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in public higher education, state agencies, and local governments.
- While Republicans aim to refocus on workforce training and merit-based systems, Democrats criticize the bill as part of the culture wars.
- The House must approve Senate amendments before the bill goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Sweeping restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across public higher education institutions and governmental entities in Iowa are one step closer to becoming law after the state Senate passed a House-backed measure clamping down on DEI efforts.
In a 34-16 vote on party lines, the Iowa Senate on May 9 passed House File 856 extending restrictions on DEI initiatives that lawmakers in 2024 placed on the three public universities governed by the Iowa Board of Regents to community colleges.
The bill also sets DEI prohibitions for state agencies, cities, counties and other political subdivisions, barring them from spending any money appropriated by the state or from any other sources to establish or support a DEI office or DEI employee.
GOP lawmakers have cast the legislation dismantling DEI initiatives as refocusing Iowa’s higher education system and government agencies on workforce training and restoring a merit-based system, but continue to push proposals to expand intellectual diversity at institutions they say are filled with students and staff who lean to the political left.
In the House, Democratic legislators in the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus led the charge against the proposal and said DEI had become “a punchline and weapon in the culture wars,” though it benefits all. Senate Democrats warned it would drive people away from Iowa and worsen worker shortages.
“This bill prohibits the rights of free speech of our public entities,” said Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames. “It is completely contradictory to our constitutional mandate and our democratic principles of the United States.”
More: ‘I thought I had outlived that’: Iowa Black Caucus leaders decry bills trying to erase DEI
The Senate in March passed a narrower measure banning cities and counties from operating DEI offices, but that never gained traction in the House.
Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Pella, said this legislation was needed because of the “direction some have gone in the extreme to push DEI initiatives” at state institutions.
“I would suggest that the opposite of DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — is MEI — merit, excellence and intelligence,” Rozenboom said. “… Taxpayer-funded entities, which includes, in this case, our state institutions and community colleges, do not exist to promote politically divisive ideologies.”
What changes did the Iowa Senate make to the bill?
Senate lawmakers amended the bill to remove 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.
The Senate also tweaked the bill’s definition of DEI to bar 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.”
The amended bill also prohibits 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.
House lawmakers will have to take up the amended version before it can go to Gov. Kim Reynolds‘ desk.
Democrats warn the bill would turn people away from Iowa
The bill’s list of what constitutes DEI would have “unintended, negative consequences,” Quirmbach said.
He pointed to language in the bill saying governmental entities cannot influence the makeup of a student body or employees based on race, sex, color or ethnicity, and said agencies such as police departments should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
Quirmbach feared the bill would jeopardize how communities and schools recognize holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Antiracism and ending systemic oppression are fundamental reasons the late leader of the Civil Rights Movement is celebrated, he said, but the bill restricts promotion of these topics.
“No matter how innocuous, no matter how universally held, no matter how reflective of the community, you can’t adopt anything — any policy, program, training, etc. — that’s antiracism, so where does that leave us?” Quirmbach said.
Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, said dismantling DEI programs strips away resources that contribute to students’ success, including boosting graduation and retention rates. She said it threatens the vitality of Iowa communities and workplaces.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are not mere administrative entities,” Donahue said. “They are lifelines for students from diverse backgrounds to provide support systems that help students navigate challenges related to race, gender, sexual orientation and social economic status. By dismantling these programs, this bill strips away essential resources that contribute to students’ success and well-being.”
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said 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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