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SF382 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations.

A bill for an act relating to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations.

Budget Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
DONAHUE
Last action
2025-02-24
Official status
Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Donahue, and Kraayenbrink. S.J. 342 .
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 education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations.

A bill for an act relating to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations.

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. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Donahue, and Kraayenbrink. S.J. 342 .

  2. 2025-02-19 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Education. S.J. 312 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

382

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

382

BY

DONAHUE

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

education,

including

by

prohibiting

the

use

1

of

certain

mascots

to

represent

schools

and

institutions

2

of

higher

education,

establishing

grant

programs

to

assist

3

schools

and

institutions

of

higher

education

in

adopting

4

alternative

mascots,

modifying

provisions

related

to

the

5

Iowa

tuition

grants

program,

and

making

appropriations.

6

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

7

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382

Section

1.

Section

256.183,

subsection

1,

unnumbered

1

paragraph

1,

Code

2025,

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

“j”

“k”

,

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

2025,

is

amended

11

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

12

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

k.

Complies

with

the

requirements

of

section

13

261K.1

related

to

the

use

of

discriminatory

mascots

in

the

same

14

manner

as

a

community

college.

15

Sec.

3.

Section

256.183,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

amended

16

to

read

as

follows:

17

3.

“Eligible

institution”

means

an

institution

of

higher

18

learning

located

in

Iowa

which

is

operated

privately

and

19

not

controlled

or

administered

by

any

state

agency

or

any

20

subdivision

of

the

state,

which

is

not

exempt

from

taxation

21

under

section

501(c)(3)

of

the

Internal

Revenue

Code,

and

which

22

meets

all

of

the

criteria

in

subsection

1

,

paragraphs

“d”

23

through

“j”

“k”

,

and

is

a

school

of

barbering

and

cosmetology

24

arts

and

sciences

licensed

under

chapter

157

and

is

accredited

25

by

a

national

accrediting

agency

recognized

by

the

United

26

States

department

of

education.

For

the

fiscal

year

beginning

27

July

1,

2017,

such

a

school

of

barbering

and

cosmetology

arts

28

and

sciences

shall

provide

a

matching

aggregate

amount

of

29

institutional

financial

aid

equal

to

at

least

seventy-five

30

percent

of

the

amount

received

by

the

institution’s

students

31

for

Iowa

tuition

grant

assistance

under

section

256.191

.

For

32

the

fiscal

year

beginning

July

1,

2018,

the

school

of

barbering

33

and

cosmetology

arts

and

sciences

shall

provide

a

matching

34

aggregate

amount

of

institutional

financial

aid

equal

to

at

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382

least

eighty-five

percent

of

the

amount

received

in

that

fiscal

1

year.

Commencing

with

the

fiscal

year

beginning

July

1,

2019,

2

and

each

succeeding

fiscal

year,

the

matching

aggregate

amount

3

of

institutional

financial

aid

shall

be

at

least

equal

to

the

4

match

provided

by

eligible

institutions

under

section

261.9,

5

subsection

3

,

paragraph

“a”

,

Code

2023.

6

Sec.

4.

NEW

SECTION

.

261K.1

Mascots,

team

names,

and

logos

7

——

prohibitions.

8

1.

As

used

in

this

section:

9

a.

“Disability”

means

the

same

as

defined

in

the

federal

10

Americans

with

Disabilities

Act

of

1990,

42

U.S.C.

§12101

et

11

seq.

12

b.

“Discriminatory

mascot”

means

any

name,

person,

animal,

13

object,

symbol,

or

image

that

a

public

educational

institution

14

uses

to

represent

the

public

educational

institution

and

that

15

references

or

is

associated

with

a

disability.

16

c.

“Public

educational

institution”

means

all

of

the

17

following:

18

(1)

A

school

district

organized

pursuant

to

chapter

274.

19

(2)

A

nonpublic

school

accredited

by

the

department

of

20

education

as

provided

in

section

256.11.

21

(3)

A

charter

school

established

pursuant

to

chapter

256E.

22

(4)

A

charter

school

or

innovation

zone

school

established

23

pursuant

to

chapter

256F.

24

(5)

An

institution

of

higher

education

under

the

control

of

25

the

state

board

of

regents.

26

(6)

A

community

college

established

under

chapter

260C.

27

2.

a.

A

public

educational

institution

shall

not

do

any

of

28

the

following

on

or

after

the

effective

date

of

this

Act:

29

(1)

Adopt

or

continue

the

use

of

a

discriminatory

mascot.

30

(2)

Purchase

any

new

goods

that

use

or

contain

a

31

discriminatory

mascot.

32

b.

If,

as

of

the

effective

date

of

this

Act,

a

public

33

educational

institution

uses

a

discriminatory

mascot

to

34

represent

the

public

educational

institution,

the

public

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382

educational

institution

shall

adopt

a

new

name,

person,

animal,

1

object,

symbol,

or

image,

as

applicable,

that

complies

with

2

this

section.

3

3.

Within

one

year

after

the

effective

date

of

this

Act,

4

each

public

educational

institution

shall

conduct

a

review

of

5

each

name,

person,

animal,

object,

symbol,

or

image

that

the

6

public

educational

institution

uses

to

represent

the

public

7

educational

institution

to

ensure

that

the

name,

person,

8

animal,

object,

symbol,

or

image

is

not

a

discriminatory

9

mascot.

10

4.

Notwithstanding

subsection

2,

a

public

educational

11

institution

may

continue

to

use

certain

existing

materials

12

and

uniforms

that

use

a

discriminatory

mascot

until

September

13

1,

2027,

if

the

public

educational

institution

satisfies

14

transition

requirements

established

by

the

department

of

15

education

or

state

board

of

regents,

as

applicable,

in

rules

16

adopted

pursuant

to

chapter

17A

to

administer

this

section.

17

5.

a.

(1)

The

department

of

education

shall

develop

and

18

administer

a

department

of

education

mascot

grant

program

19

to

provide

grants

to

school

districts,

nonpublic

schools

20

accredited

by

the

department

of

education,

charter

schools,

21

innovation

zone

schools,

community

colleges,

accredited

private

22

institutions,

as

defined

in

section

256.183,

and

eligible

23

institutions,

as

defined

in

section

256.183,

to

offset

the

24

costs

associated

with

complying

with

this

section,

including

25

costs

related

to

purchasing

new

signage,

uniforms,

and

26

educational

materials.

27

(2)

The

state

board

of

education

shall

adopt

rules

pursuant

28

to

chapter

17A

to

administer

this

paragraph,

including

29

rules

relating

to

grant

application

materials,

eligibility

30

requirements,

and

award

criteria.

31

b.

A

department

of

education

mascot

grant

program

fund

is

32

created

in

the

state

treasury.

The

fund

shall

be

administered

33

by

the

department

of

education

and

shall

consist

of

moneys

34

appropriated

by

the

general

assembly

and

other

moneys

received

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by

the

department

of

education

for

deposit

in

the

fund.

The

1

moneys

in

the

fund

are

appropriated

to

the

department

of

2

education

for

purposes

of

the

department

of

education

mascot

3

grant

program.

For

the

fiscal

year

commencing

July

1,

2025,

4

and

each

succeeding

fiscal

year,

there

is

appropriated

from

the

5

general

fund

of

the

state

to

the

department

of

education

to

be

6

credited

to

the

fund

the

amount

necessary

to

pay

all

grants

7

approved

under

the

department

of

education

mascot

grant

program

8

for

that

fiscal

year.

9

c.

This

subsection

is

repealed

September

1,

2027.

10

6.

a.

(1)

The

state

board

of

regents

shall

develop

and

11

administer

a

state

board

of

regents

mascot

grant

program

to

12

provide

grants

to

institutions

of

higher

education

under

the

13

control

of

the

state

board

of

regents

to

offset

the

costs

14

associated

with

complying

with

this

section,

including

costs

15

related

to

purchasing

new

signage,

uniforms,

and

educational

16

materials.

17

(2)

The

state

board

of

regents

shall

adopt

rules

pursuant

18

to

chapter

17A

to

administer

this

paragraph,

including

19

rules

relating

to

grant

application

materials,

eligibility

20

requirements,

and

award

criteria.

21

b.

A

state

board

of

regents

mascot

grant

program

fund

is

22

created

in

the

state

treasury.

The

fund

shall

be

administered

23

by

the

state

board

of

regents

and

shall

consist

of

moneys

24

appropriated

by

the

general

assembly

and

other

moneys

received

25

by

the

state

board

of

regents

for

deposit

in

the

fund.

The

26

moneys

in

the

fund

are

appropriated

to

the

state

board

of

27

regents

for

purposes

of

the

state

board

of

regents

mascot

grant

28

program.

For

the

fiscal

year

commencing

July

1,

2025,

and

each

29

succeeding

fiscal

year,

there

is

appropriated

from

the

general

30

fund

of

the

state

to

the

state

board

of

regents

to

be

credited

31

to

the

fund

the

amount

necessary

to

pay

all

grants

approved

32

under

the

state

board

of

regents

mascot

grant

program

for

that

33

fiscal

year.

34

c.

This

subsection

is

repealed

September

1,

2027.

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382

EXPLANATION

1

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

2

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

3

This

bill

relates

to

education,

including

by

prohibiting

the

4

use

of

certain

mascots

to

represent

schools

and

institutions

of

5

higher

education,

establishing

grant

programs

to

assist

schools

6

and

institutions

of

higher

education

in

adopting

alternative

7

mascots,

and

modifying

provisions

related

to

the

Iowa

tuition

8

grants

program.

9

The

bill

defines

“disability”

by

reference

to

the

federal

10

Americans

with

Disabilities

Act

of

1990.

The

bill

defines

11

“discriminatory

mascot”

as

any

name,

person,

animal,

object,

12

symbol,

or

image

that

a

public

educational

institution

uses

13

to

represent

the

public

educational

institution

and

that

14

references

or

is

associated

with

a

disability.

The

bill

15

also

defines

“public

educational

institution”

to

mean

school

16

districts,

nonpublic

schools

accredited

by

the

department

17

of

education,

charter

schools,

innovation

zone

schools,

18

institutions

of

higher

education

under

the

control

of

the

state

19

board

of

regents,

and

community

colleges.

20

The

bill

prohibits

public

educational

institutions

from

21

adopting

or

continuing

the

use

of

a

discriminatory

mascot,

22

or

from

purchasing

any

new

goods

that

use

or

contain

a

23

discriminatory

mascot,

on

or

after

the

effective

date

of

the

24

bill.

The

bill

requires

public

educational

institutions

that

25

use

a

discriminatory

mascot

as

of

the

effective

date

of

the

26

bill

to

adopt

a

new

name,

person,

animal,

object,

symbol,

or

27

image,

as

applicable,

that

complies

with

the

bill’s

provisions.

28

The

bill

requires

public

educational

institutions

to,

within

29

one

year

after

the

effective

date

of

the

bill,

conduct

a

30

review

of

each

name,

person,

animal,

object,

symbol,

or

image

31

that

the

public

educational

institution

uses

to

represent

the

32

public

educational

institution

to

ensure

that

the

name,

person,

33

animal,

object,

symbol,

or

image

is

not

a

discriminatory

34

mascot.

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382

The

bill

allows

a

public

educational

institution

to

continue

1

to

use

certain

existing

materials

and

uniforms

that

use

a

2

discriminatory

mascot

until

September

1,

2027,

if

the

public

3

educational

institution

satisfies

transition

requirements

4

established

by

the

department

of

education

or

state

board

of

5

regents,

as

applicable,

by

rule.

6

The

bill

requires

the

department

of

education

to

develop

7

and

administer

a

department

of

education

mascot

grant

8

program

to

provide

grants

to

school

districts,

accredited

9

nonpublic

schools,

charter

schools,

innovation

zone

schools,

10

and

community

colleges

to

offset

the

costs

associated

with

11

complying

with

the

bill’s

provisions,

including

costs

related

12

to

purchasing

new

signage,

uniforms,

and

educational

materials.

13

The

bill

also

requires

the

state

board

of

regents

to

adopt

a

14

similar

program,

known

as

the

state

board

of

regents

mascot

15

grant

program,

to

provide

grants

to

institutions

of

higher

16

education

under

the

control

of

the

state

board

of

regents

for

17

similar

purposes.

These

provisions

are

repealed

September

1,

18

2027.

19

The

bill

establishes

both

a

department

of

education

mascot

20

grant

program

fund

and

a

state

board

of

regents

mascot

grant

21

program

fund

in

the

state

treasury

and

appropriates

from

the

22

general

fund

of

the

state

to

each

fund,

for

the

fiscal

year

23

commencing

July

1,

2025,

and

each

succeeding

fiscal

year,

an

24

amount

necessary

to

pay

all

grants

approved

under

the

grant

25

programs

for

that

fiscal

year.

These

provisions

are

repealed

26

September

1,

2027.

27

The

bill

requires

accredited

private

institutions

and

28

eligible

institutions,

as

each

is

defined

in

Code

section

29

256.183

(Iowa

tuition

grants

program),

as

a

condition

of

30

participation

in

the

Iowa

tuition

grants

program,

to

comply

31

with

the

bill’s

provisions

in

the

same

manner

as

a

community

32

college.

The

bill

allows

accredited

private

institutions

and

33

eligible

institutions

to

apply

for

and

receive

grants

under

the

34

department

of

education

mascot

grant

program.

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