A bill for an act relating to open enrollment, student transfers, and interscholastic athletic eligibility requirements, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HF 2034 .) Effective date: Enactment, 08/01/2026

House

File

2591

-

Enrolled

House

File

2591

AN

ACT

RELATING

TO

OPEN

ENROLLMENT,

STUDENT

TRANSFERS,

AND

INTERSCHOLASTIC

ATHLETIC

ELIGIBILITY

REQUIREMENTS,

AND

INCLUDING

EFFECTIVE

DATE

PROVISIONS.

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

Section

1.

Section

256.7,

Code

2026,

is

amended

by

adding

the

following

new

subsection:

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

36.

Adopt

rules

allowing

students

enrolled

in

grade

eight

to

participate

in

any

extracurricular

House

File

2591,

p.

2

interscholastic

athletic

contest

or

competition

that

is

provided

by

a

school

district,

nonpublic

school,

or

charter

school

on

the

same

basis

as

students

who

are

enrolled

in

grades

nine

through

twelve.

Sec.

2.

Section

256.46,

Code

2026,

is

amended

by

adding

the

following

new

subsection:

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

4.

A

student

in

grades

nine

through

twelve

who

transfers

from

one

school

to

another

school

shall

be

ineligible

to

compete

in

interscholastic

athletics

for

a

period

of

one

hundred

forty

calendar

days

following

enrollment

in

the

new

school,

exclusive

of

summer

enrollment,

unless

one

of

the

exceptions

listed

in

subsection

1

applies

or

a

similar

circumstance

exists

as

determined

by

rule

of

the

state

board.

The

period

of

ineligibility

applies

only

to

varsity

level

contests

and

competitions.

Sec.

3.

Section

282.18,

subsection

11,

paragraph

a,

unnumbered

paragraph

1,

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

A

pupil

who

participates

in

open

enrollment

for

purposes

of

attending

a

grade

in

grades

nine

through

twelve

in

a

school

district

other

than

the

district

of

residence

is

ineligible

to

participate

in

varsity

interscholastic

athletic

contests

and

athletic

competitions

during

the

pupil’s

first

ninety

school

one

hundred

forty

calendar

days

of

enrollment

in

the

district.

However,

a

pupil

may

participate

immediately

in

a

varsity

interscholastic

sport

under

any

of

the

following

circumstances:

Sec.

4.

EMERGENCY

RULES.

The

state

board

of

education

shall

adopt

emergency

rules

under

section

17A.4,

subsection

3,

and

section

17A.5,

subsection

2,

paragraph

“b”,

to

implement

the

section

of

this

Act

amending

section

256.7.

The

rules

shall

be

effective

no

later

than

August

1,

2026.

Any

rules

adopted

in

accordance

with

this

section

shall

also

be

published

as

a

notice

of

intended

action

as

provided

in

section

17A.4.

Sec.

5.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

The

following

take

effect

August

1,

2026:

1.

The

section

of

this

Act

amending

section

256.46.

2.

The

section

of

this

Act

amending

section

282.18.

Sec.

6.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

The

following,

being

deemed

of

immediate

importance,

take

effect

upon

enactment:

House

File

2591,

p.

3

1.

The

section

of

this

Act

amending

section

256.7.

2.

The

section

of

this

Act

requiring

emergency

rulemaking.

______________________________

PAT

GRASSLEY

Speaker

of

the

House

______________________________

AMY

SINCLAIR

President

of

the

Senate

I

hereby

certify

that

this

bill

originated

in

the

House

and

is

known

as

House

File

2591,

Ninety-first

General

Assembly.

______________________________

MEGHAN

NELSON

Chief

Clerk

of

the

House

Approved

_______________,

2026

______________________________

KIM

REYNOLDS

Governor