HF855 • 2026

A bill for an act prohibiting community colleges from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and engaging in certain other activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.(Formerly HSB 61 .)

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: 2025-04-03
Official status: Referred to Higher Education. H.J. 896 .
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 community colleges from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and engaging in certain other activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.(Formerly HSB 61 .)

What This Bill Does

A bill for an act prohibiting community colleges from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and engaging in certain other activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.(Formerly HSB 61 .)

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

2025-04-03 Iowa Legislature
Referred to Higher Education. H.J. 896 .
2025-03-07 Iowa Legislature
Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 562 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act prohibiting community colleges from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and engaging in certain other activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.(Formerly HSB 61 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

House

File

855

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

855

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

HIGHER

EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR

TO

HSB

61)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

prohibiting

community

colleges

from

establishing

1

diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion

offices

and

engaging

in

2

certain

other

activities

relating

to

diversity,

equity,

and

3

inclusion.

4

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

5

TLSB

1433HV

(1)

91

je/jh

H.F.

855

Section

1.

Section

261J.1,

subsection

3,

as

enacted

by

1

2024

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

1152,

section

31,

is

amended

to

read

2

as

follows:

3

3.

“Public

institution

of

higher

education”

means

an

4

institution

of

higher

learning

governed

by

the

state

board

of

5

regents

or

a

community

college

.

6

EXPLANATION

7

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

8

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

9

This

bill

provides

that

a

public

institution

of

higher

10

education

for

purposes

of

Code

chapter

261J,

relating

to

11

diversity,

equity,

and

inclusion,

includes

a

community

college.

12

Code

chapter

261J

generally

prohibits

public

institutions

13

of

higher

education

from

establishing

diversity,

equity,

and

14

inclusion

offices,

as

defined

in

Code

chapter

261J;

requiring

a

15

person

to

provide

a

diversity,

equity,

or

inclusion

statement;

16

or

giving

preferential

treatment

to

any

person

based

on

the

17

provisions

of

such

a

statement.

The

prohibitions

do

not

apply

18

if

otherwise

provided

by

federal

or

state

law

or

accreditation

19

standards.

Code

chapter

261J

requires

annual

reports

to

20

the

general

assembly

and

governor

on

compliance

by

public

21

institutions

of

higher

education

and

provides

for

enforcement

22

by

the

attorney

general.

23

-1-

LSB

1433HV

(1)

91

je/jh

1/

1