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HF2488 • 2026

A bill for an act prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices. (Formerly HSB 537 .) Effective date: 07/01/2026.

A bill for an act prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices. (Formerly HSB 537 .) Effective date: 07/01/2026.

Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Last action
2026-03-16
Official status
Subcommittee recommends indefinite postponement. [].
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 prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices. (Formerly HSB 537 .) Effective date: 07/01/2026.

A bill for an act prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.
  • (Formerly HSB 537 .) Effective date: 07/01/2026.

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. 2026-03-16 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends indefinite postponement. [].

  2. 2026-03-11 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 03/16/2026 12:30PM Senate Lounge.

  3. 2026-03-04 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Pike, Quirmbach, and Taylor. S.J. 477 .

  4. 2026-02-25 Iowa Legislature

    Read first time, referred to Education. S.J. 396 .

  5. 2026-02-25 Iowa Legislature

    Message from House. S.J. 396 .

  6. 2026-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Immediate message. H.J. 412 .

  7. 2026-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Passed House , yeas 57, nays 34. H.J. 409 .

  8. 2026-02-16 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 297 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices. (Formerly HSB 537 .) Effective date: 07/01/2026.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

2488

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

2488

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

HIGHER

EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR

TO

HSB

537)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

prohibiting

private

institutions

of

higher

education

1

that

participate

in

the

Iowa

tuition

grant

program

from

2

establishing

diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion

offices.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

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Section

1.

Section

256.183,

subsection

1,

unnumbered

1

paragraph

1,

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

“Accredited

private

institution”

means

an

institution

of

3

higher

learning

located

in

Iowa

which

is

operated

privately

4

and

not

controlled

or

administered

by

any

state

agency

or

5

any

subdivision

of

the

state

and

which

meets

the

criteria

in

6

paragraphs

“a”

and

“b”

and

all

of

the

criteria

in

paragraphs

“d”

7

through

“k”

“l”

,

except

that

institutions

defined

in

paragraph

8

“c”

of

this

subsection

are

exempt

from

the

requirements

of

9

paragraphs

“a”

and

“b”

:

10

Sec.

2.

Section

256.183,

subsection

1,

Code

2026,

is

amended

11

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

12

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

l.

Adopt

a

policy

for

compliance

with

13

chapter

261M.

14

Sec.

3.

Section

256.183,

subsection

3,

Code

2026,

is

amended

15

to

read

as

follows:

16

3.

“Eligible

institution”

means

an

institution

of

higher

17

learning

located

in

Iowa

which

is

operated

privately

and

18

not

controlled

or

administered

by

any

state

agency

or

any

19

subdivision

of

the

state,

which

is

not

exempt

from

taxation

20

under

section

501(c)(3)

of

the

Internal

Revenue

Code,

and

which

21

meets

all

of

the

criteria

in

subsection

1

,

paragraphs

“d”

22

through

“k”

“l”

,

and

is

a

school

of

barbering

and

cosmetology

23

arts

and

sciences

licensed

under

chapter

157

and

is

accredited

24

by

a

national

accrediting

agency

recognized

by

the

United

25

States

department

of

education.

For

the

fiscal

year

beginning

26

July

1,

2017,

such

a

school

of

barbering

and

cosmetology

arts

27

and

sciences

shall

provide

a

matching

aggregate

amount

of

28

institutional

financial

aid

equal

to

at

least

seventy-five

29

percent

of

the

amount

received

by

the

institution’s

students

30

for

Iowa

tuition

grant

assistance

under

section

256.191

.

For

31

the

fiscal

year

beginning

July

1,

2018,

the

school

of

barbering

32

and

cosmetology

arts

and

sciences

shall

provide

a

matching

33

aggregate

amount

of

institutional

financial

aid

equal

to

at

34

least

eighty-five

percent

of

the

amount

received

in

that

fiscal

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year.

Commencing

with

the

fiscal

year

beginning

July

1,

2019,

1

and

each

succeeding

fiscal

year,

the

matching

aggregate

amount

2

of

institutional

financial

aid

shall

be

at

least

equal

to

the

3

match

provided

by

eligible

institutions

under

section

261.9,

4

subsection

3

,

paragraph

“a”

,

Code

2023.

5

Sec.

4.

NEW

SECTION

.

261M.1

Definitions.

6

As

used

in

this

chapter,

unless

the

context

otherwise

7

requires:

8

1.

“Department”

means

the

department

of

education.

9

2.

“Diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion”

includes

all

of

the

10

following:

11

a.

Any

effort

to

manipulate

or

otherwise

influence

the

12

composition

of

the

faculty

or

student

body

with

reference

to

13

race,

sex,

color,

or

ethnicity,

apart

from

ensuring

colorblind

14

and

sex-neutral

admissions

and

hiring

in

accordance

with

state

15

and

federal

antidiscrimination

laws.

16

b.

Any

effort

to

promote

differential

treatment

of

or

17

provide

special

benefits

to

individuals

on

the

basis

of

race,

18

color,

or

ethnicity.

19

c.

Any

effort

to

promote

or

promulgate

policies

and

20

procedures

designed

or

implemented

with

reference

to

race,

21

color,

or

ethnicity.

22

d.

Any

effort

to

promote

or

promulgate

trainings,

23

programming,

or

activities

designed

or

implemented

with

24

reference

to

race,

color,

ethnicity,

gender

identity,

or

sexual

25

orientation.

26

3.

“Diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion

office”

means

27

any

division,

office,

center,

or

other

unit

of

a

private

28

institution

of

higher

education

that

is

responsible

for

29

creating,

developing,

designing,

implementing,

organizing,

30

planning,

or

promoting

policies,

programming,

training,

31

practices,

activities,

or

procedures

related

to

diversity,

32

equity,

and

inclusion.

“Diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion

office”

33

does

not

include

any

of

the

following:

34

a.

An

office

ensuring

legal

compliance.

35

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b.

An

academic

department

within

a

private

institution

1

of

higher

education

that

exists

primarily

for

the

purpose

of

2

offering

courses

for

degree

credit

and

that

does

not

establish

3

a

policy

or

procedures

to

which

other

departments

of

the

4

private

institution

of

higher

education

are

subject.

5

c.

An

office

solely

engaged

in

new

student

recruitment.

6

d.

A

registered

student

organization.

7

4.

“Private

institution

of

higher

education”

means

an

8

accredited

private

institution

as

defined

in

section

256.183

or

9

an

eligible

institution

as

defined

in

section

256.183.

10

Sec.

5.

NEW

SECTION

.

261M.2

Diversity,

equity,

and

11

inclusion

office

prohibited.

12

1.

A

private

institution

of

higher

education

shall

not,

13

except

as

otherwise

provided

by

federal

or

state

law

or

14

accreditation

standards,

establish,

sustain,

support,

or

staff

15

a

diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion

office.

16

2.

Subsection

1

shall

not

be

construed

to

cover

or

affect

a

17

private

institution

of

higher

education’s

funding

of

any

of

the

18

following:

19

a.

Academic

course

instruction.

20

b.

Research

or

creative

works

by

the

private

institution

21

of

higher

education’s

students,

faculty,

or

other

research

22

personnel,

and

the

dissemination

of

such

research

or

creative

23

works.

24

c.

Activities

of

registered

student

organizations.

25

d.

Arrangements

for

guest

speakers

and

performers

with

26

short-term

engagements.

27

e.

Mental

or

physical

health

services

provided

by

licensed

28

professionals.

29

3.

Subsection

1

shall

not

be

construed

as

prohibiting

bona

30

fide

qualifications

based

on

sex

that

are

reasonably

necessary

31

to

the

normal

operation

of

private

higher

education.

32

Sec.

6.

NEW

SECTION

.

261M.3

Enforcement.

33

1.

A

person

may

report

a

private

institution

of

higher

34

education’s

potential

violation

of

section

261M.2

to

the

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attorney

general.

The

attorney

general

shall

provide

notice

1

of

such

report

to

the

department

and

the

institution

within

2

fifteen

days.

No

later

than

thirty

days

after

receiving

such

3

notice,

the

institution

shall

do

one

of

the

following:

4

a.

Correct

the

violation

and

provide

documentation

of

the

5

correction

to

the

attorney

general

and

the

department.

6

b.

Provide

documentation

to

the

attorney

general

and

the

7

department

demonstrating

that

the

action

of

the

institution

8

upon

which

the

report

was

based

was

not

a

violation

of

section

9

261M.2.

10

2.

If,

upon

the

conclusion

of

the

thirty-day

period

11

provided

in

subsection

1,

the

institution

has

not

complied

12

with

subsection

1,

paragraph

“a”

,

or

provided

documentation

13

under

subsection

1,

paragraph

“b”

,

that

demonstrates

to

14

the

satisfaction

of

the

attorney

general

that

a

violation

15

of

section

261M.2

did

not

occur,

the

institution

shall

be

16

ineligible

to

participate

in

the

tuition

grant

program

under

17

chapter

256,

subchapter

VII,

part

4,

subpart

B,

as

of

the

18

next

academic

year

beginning

thereafter.

If

either

action

is

19

carried

out

by

the

institution

by

October

1

of

an

academic

20

year,

eligibility

shall

be

restored

as

of

the

next

academic

21

year

beginning

after

such

action

is

carried

out.

The

attorney

22

general

shall

notify

the

college

student

aid

commission

to

this

23

effect.

24

EXPLANATION

25

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

26

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

27

This

bill

prohibits

a

private

institution

of

higher

28

education,

as

defined

in

the

bill,

from

establishing,

29

sustaining,

supporting,

or

staffing

a

diversity,

equity,

and

30

inclusion

office,

as

defined

in

the

bill.

The

prohibition

does

31

not

apply

if

otherwise

provided

by

federal

or

state

law

or

32

accreditation

standards.

The

bill

specifies

activities

that

33

the

bill

shall

not

be

construed

to

prohibit.

34

The

bill

authorizes

a

person

to

report

a

private

institution

35

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of

higher

education’s

potential

violation

of

the

requirements

1

of

the

bill

to

the

attorney

general,

who

shall

provide

2

notice

of

such

report

to

the

department

of

education

and

the

3

institution

within

15

days.

No

later

than

30

days

after

4

receiving

such

notice,

the

institution

is

required

to

take

5

one

of

two

actions.

The

institution

shall

either

correct

the

6

violation

and

provide

documentation

of

the

correction

to

the

7

attorney

general

and

the

department

or

provide

documentation

to

8

the

attorney

general

and

the

department

demonstrating

that

the

9

action

of

the

institution

upon

which

the

report

was

based

was

10

not

a

violation.

11

If

within

the

30-day

period

the

institution

has

not

12

corrected

the

violation

or

provided

documentation

that

13

demonstrates

to

the

satisfaction

of

the

attorney

general

that

a

14

violation

did

not

occur,

the

institution

shall

be

ineligible

15

to

participate

in

the

Iowa

tuition

grant

program

as

of

the

16

next

academic

year

beginning

thereafter.

If

either

action

is

17

carried

out

by

the

institution

by

October

1

of

an

academic

18

year,

eligibility

shall

be

restored

as

of

the

next

academic

19

year

beginning

after

such

action

is

carried

out.

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