Back to Iowa

HF2116 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
FETT
Last action
2026-01-21
Official status
Subcommittee: Fett, Hayes and Kurth. H.J. 139 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-21 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Fett, Hayes and Kurth. H.J. 139 .

  2. 2026-01-21 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 130 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

2116

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

2116

BY

FETT

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

trainings

and

curricula

regarding

specific

1

defined

concepts

provided

by

public

institutions

of

higher

2

education

and

school

districts.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

TLSB

5429YH

(2)

91

jda/jh

H.F.

2116

Section

1.

Section

261H.8,

Code

2026,

is

amended

by

adding

1

the

following

new

subsection:

2

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

2A.

The

president,

vice

presidents,

3

deans,

department

directors,

or

any

other

administrator

of

a

4

public

institution

of

higher

education

shall

ensure

that

all

5

employees

of

the

public

institution

of

higher

education

under

6

the

supervision

of

such

person,

whether

directly

or

indirectly,

7

and

all

contractors

engaged

by

such

person,

whether

directly

8

or

indirectly,

to

provide

staff

or

student

training

receive

9

training

related

to

the

requirements

and

prohibitions

of

this

10

section.

11

Sec.

2.

Section

279.74,

subsection

2,

Code

2026,

is

amended

12

to

read

as

follows:

13

2.

a.

Each

school

district

may

continue

training

that

14

fosters

a

workplace

and

learning

environment

that

is

respectful

15

of

all

employees

and

students.

However,

the

superintendent

of

16

each

school

district

,

each

employee

of

the

school

district,

17

each

contractor

hired

by

the

school

district,

and

each

18

volunteer

engaged

by

the

school

district

shall

ensure

that

19

any

all

curriculum

or

mandatory

provided

by

the

employee,

20

contractor,

or

volunteer;

all

educational

materials

provided

21

to

students

by

the

employee,

contractor,

or

volunteer;

and

22

all

staff

or

student

training

provided

by

an

the

employee

,

of

23

the

school

district

or

by

a

contractor

hired

by

the

school

24

district

,

or

volunteer

does

not

teach,

advocate,

encourage,

25

promote,

or

act

upon

specific

stereotyping

and

scapegoating

26

toward

others

on

the

basis

of

demographic

group

membership

or

27

identity.

This

subsection

paragraph

shall

not

be

construed

28

as

preventing

an

employee

,

or

contractor

,

or

volunteer

who

29

teaches

any

curriculum

or

who

provides

mandatory

training

from

30

responding

to

questions

regarding

specific

defined

concepts

31

raised

by

participants

in

the

training.

32

b.

(1)

A

school

district

shall

not

expend

any

moneys

33

appropriated

by

the

general

assembly

or

any

other

moneys

34

derived

from

bequests,

charges,

deposits,

donations,

35

-1-

LSB

5429YH

(2)

91

jda/jh

1/

4

H.F.

2116

endowments,

fees,

grants,

gifts,

income,

receipts,

tuition,

1

chapter

257,

or

any

other

source

to

provide

any

curriculum,

2

educational

materials,

or

staff

or

student

training,

either

3

directly

or

indirectly,

that

violates

paragraph

“a”

.

4

(2)

A

school

district

shall

not

use

any

of

the

school

5

district’s

resources,

facilities,

or

staff

or

student

time

6

to

violate

paragraph

“a”

or

encourage

any

person

to

violate

7

paragraph

“a”

.

8

Sec.

3.

Section

279.74,

Code

2026,

is

amended

by

adding

the

9

following

new

subsections:

10

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

2A.

The

superintendent

of

each

school

11

district

shall

ensure

that

all

of

the

following

individuals

12

receive

training

related

to

the

requirements

and

prohibitions

13

of

this

section:

14

a.

Employees

of

the

school

district.

15

b.

Contractors

hired

by

the

school

district

to

provide

16

curriculum,

educational

materials,

or

staff

or

student

17

training.

18

c.

Volunteers

engaged

by

the

school

district

to

provide

19

curriculum,

educational

materials,

or

staff

or

student

20

training.

21

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

2B.

a.

Any

of

the

following

individuals

22

may

bring

a

civil

action

for

injunctive

relief

against

a

school

23

district

to

prohibit

the

school

district

from

continuing

to

24

violate

this

section:

25

(1)

The

parent

or

guardian

of

a

student

who

is

enrolled

in

26

the

school

district.

27

(2)

An

employee

of

the

school

district.

28

(3)

A

resident

of

the

school

district.

29

b.

This

subsection

shall

not

be

construed

to

require

an

30

individual

bringing

a

civil

action

under

paragraph

“a”

to

31

demonstrate

that

the

individual

was

harmed

by

the

school

32

district’s

violation

of

this

section.

33

Sec.

4.

Section

279.74,

subsection

4,

paragraph

d,

Code

34

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

35

-2-

LSB

5429YH

(2)

91

jda/jh

2/

4

H.F.

2116

d.

Create

Except

as

provided

in

subsection

2B,

create

any

1

right

or

benefit,

substantive

or

procedural,

enforceable

at

2

law

or

in

equity

by

any

party

against

the

state

of

Iowa,

its

3

departments,

agencies,

or

entities,

its

officers,

employees,

4

or

agents,

or

any

other

person.

5

EXPLANATION

6

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

7

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

8

This

bill

relates

to

trainings

and

curricula

regarding

9

specific

defined

concepts

provided

by

public

institutions

of

10

higher

education

and

school

districts.

11

Current

Code

section

279.74(2)

requires

the

superintendent

12

of

each

school

district

to

ensure

that

any

curriculum

or

13

mandatory

staff

or

student

training

provided

by

an

employee

14

or

by

a

contractor

does

not

teach,

advocate,

encourage,

15

promote,

or

act

upon

specific

stereotyping

and

scapegoating

16

toward

others

on

the

basis

of

demographic

group

membership

17

or

identity.

Current

Code

section

279.74(3)

requires

school

18

district

diversity

and

inclusion

efforts

to

discourage

students

19

from

discriminating

against

another

by

political

ideology

or

20

any

characteristic

protected

under

federal

law

or

applicable

21

state

law.

Current

Code

section

279.74(3)

also

requires

school

22

districts

to

prohibit

employees

from

discriminating

against

23

students

or

other

employees

by

political

ideology

or

any

24

characteristic

protected

under

federal

law

or

applicable

state

25

law.

26

The

bill

modifies

Code

section

279.74(2)

to

require

the

27

superintendent

and

each

employee,

contractor,

and

volunteer

28

to

ensure

that

all

curriculum

provided

by

the

employee,

29

contractor,

or

volunteer;

all

educational

materials

provided

30

to

students

by

the

employee,

contractor,

or

volunteer;

and

all

31

staff

or

student

training

provided

by

the

employee,

contractor,

32

or

volunteer

does

not

teach,

advocate,

encourage,

promote,

or

33

act

upon

specific

stereotyping

and

scapegoating

toward

others

34

on

the

basis

of

demographic

group

membership

or

identity.

35

-3-

LSB

5429YH

(2)

91

jda/jh

3/

4

H.F.

2116

The

bill

also

prohibits

school

districts

from

expending

any

1

moneys

to

provide

any

curriculum,

educational

materials,

or

2

staff

or

student

training,

either

directly

or

indirectly,

that

3

violates

these

provisions.

In

addition,

the

bill

prohibits

4

school

districts

from

using

any

of

the

school

district’s

5

resources,

facilities,

or

staff

or

student

time

to

violate

6

these

provisions.

7

The

bill

authorizes

the

parent

or

guardian

of

a

student,

8

school

district

employees,

and

residents

of

a

school

district

9

to

bring

a

civil

action

for

injunctive

relief

against

a

school

10

district

to

prohibit

the

school

district

from

continuing

to

11

violate

Code

section

279.74.

The

bill

provides

that

this

12

provision

is

prohibited

from

being

construed

to

require

an

13

individual

bringing

such

a

civil

action

to

demonstrate

that

the

14

individual

was

harmed

by

the

school

district’s

violation.

15

The

bill

requires

the

superintendent

of

each

school

district

16

to

ensure

that

all

school

district

employees;

contractors

17

who

provide

curriculum,

educational

materials,

or

staff

or

18

student

training;

and

volunteers

who

provide

curriculum,

19

educational

materials,

or

staff

or

student

training

receive

20

training

related

to

the

requirements

and

prohibitions

of

21

Code

section

279.74.

The

bill

also

requires

the

president,

22

vice

presidents,

deans,

department

directors,

or

any

other

23

administrator

of

a

public

institution

of

higher

education

to

24

ensure

that

all

employees

of

the

public

institution

under

the

25

supervision

of

such

person,

and

all

contractors

engaged

by

such

26

person

to

provide

staff

or

student

training,

receive

training

27

related

to

the

requirements

and

prohibitions

of

Code

section

28

261H.8

(training

by

institution

prohibited

——

specific

defined

29

concepts).

30

-4-

LSB

5429YH

(2)

91

jda/jh

4/

4