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HF 2513 Iowa House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act prohibiting institutions of higher education from entering into employment contracts with citizens of federally designated foreign adversaries and state sponsors of terrorism holding certain visas.

HF 2513 prohibits Iowa public colleges and universities from hiring individuals holding valid H-1B visas who are citizens of countries designated as "foreign adversaries" by the U.S. Commerce Secretary or "state sponsors of terrorism" by the U.S. State Secretary. The law applies to institutions of higher education (excluding state board of regents institutions and community colleges) starting July 1, 2026. It requires these institutions to adopt policies preventing employment contracts with affected visa holders. The bill directly impacts hiring practices at Iowa's public universities for specific foreign nationals under federal designations. It does not affect current employment or apply to other visa types or countries not designated under federal criteria.
Issues: ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationRestricts employment access for H-1B visa holders from 'foreign adversary' countries at public colleges, limiting immigrant employment opportunities per bill's explicit prohibition.95% confidence
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 16, 2026 Last action Mar 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Reprinted · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was reprinted with substantive amendments that expanded its scope and clarified definitions. The original version only prohibited regents institutions from hiring H-1B visa holders from foreign adversaries, while the amended version now applies to all institutions of higher education (excluding community colleges and state-regents institutions) and adds state sponsors of terrorism to the list of prohibited nationalities. The bill also changed the referenced code section from 262.9 to 260C.14 and added two new sections defining key terms and establishing the employment prohibition.
Scope change
Expanded from only regents institutions to all institutions of higher education (excluding community colleges and state-regents institutions), and added state sponsors of terrorism to the list of prohibited nationalities alongside foreign adversaries.
SCOPE

Changed applicability from only regents institutions to all institutions of higher education, while explicitly excluding community colleges and institutions governed by the state board of regents.

ELIGIBILITY

Added state sponsors of terrorism designated by the United States secretary of state as an additional category of prohibited nationalities alongside foreign adversaries.

DEFINITION

Added new definition section clarifying that 'institution of higher education' means colleges or universities providing postsecondary instruction leading to a degree, while explicitly excluding community colleges and state-regents institutions.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the referenced code section from 262.9 to 260C.14 for the policy adoption requirement.

Added new section establishing explicit prohibition on employment contracts with H-1B visa holders from foreign adversaries or state sponsors of terrorism effective July 1, 2026.

Floor votes · House Mar 3, 2026

How they voted

68–26
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 99
Mar 3, 2026
D Democratic32
4 Yea 24 Nay 4
75% Nay
R Republican67
64 Yea 2 Nay 1
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
17
Key actions
6
Committee
4
Amendments
6
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee report, recommending passage.
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee recommends passage.
legislature
Mar 9, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/11/2026 8:00AM Senate Lounge.
legislature
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Pike, Dickey, and Townsend.
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House, yeas 68, nays 27.
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8027, yeas, 29, nays, 66, lost.
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8026, yeas, 29, nays, 65, lost.
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Amendment H-8095 adopted.
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8095 filed.
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8027 filed.
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Introduced
Amendment H-8026 filed.
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, placed on calendar.
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.