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HF521 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(Formerly HF 274 .)

A bill for an act relating to obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(Formerly HF 274 .)

Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Last action
2025-04-03
Official status
Referred to Education. H.J. 895 .
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 obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(Formerly HF 274 .)

A bill for an act relating to obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(Formerly HF 274 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(Formerly HF 274 .)

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. 2025-04-03 Iowa Legislature

    Referred to Education. H.J. 895 .

  2. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 379 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions.(Formerly HF 274 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

521

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

521

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR

TO

HF

274)

(COMPANION

TO

SF

235

BY

SALMON)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

obscenity

exemptions

for

public

libraries

1

and

educational

institutions.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

TLSB

2430HV

(2)

91

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H.F.

521

Section

1.

REPEAL.

Section

728.7,

Code

2025,

is

repealed.

1

EXPLANATION

2

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

3

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

4

This

bill

repeals

Code

section

728.7,

which

relates

to

5

obscenity

exemptions

for

public

libraries

and

educational

6

institutions.

7

Code

section

728.7

currently

provides

that

nothing

in

Code

8

chapter

728

(obscenity)

prohibits

the

use

of

appropriate

9

material

for

educational

purposes

in

any

accredited

school,

any

10

public

library,

or

in

any

educational

program

in

which

a

minor

11

is

participating.

Code

section

728.7

further

provides

that

12

Code

chapter

728

does

not

prohibit

the

attendance

of

minors

13

at

an

exhibition

or

display

of

art

works

or

the

use

of

any

14

materials

in

any

public

library.

15

Code

section

728.1

defines

“obscene

material”,

which

16

includes

material

the

average

person,

taking

the

material

as

17

a

whole

and

applying

contemporary

community

standards

with

18

respect

to

what

is

suitable

material

for

minors,

would

find

19

appeals

to

the

prurient

interest

and

is

patently

offensive;

20

and

the

material,

taken

as

a

whole,

lacks

serious

literary,

21

scientific,

political,

or

artistic

value.

22

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