SF 127 Iowa Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act establishing a school of intellectual freedom at the university of Iowa.

SF 127 establishes a School of Intellectual Freedom as an independent academic unit within the University of Iowa's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The school must teach courses on historical ideas shaping U.S. constitutional order, free speech, civil discourse, and responsible citizenship to all university students. It requires at least five tenure-eligible faculty, mandates that all funding directly supports the school (not university overhead), and sets rules for its governance and curriculum through required bylaws. The bill aims to expand intellectual diversity and civic engagement across the university community through its academic programming.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Last action Mar 5, 2025
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Mar 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 519.
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee recommends passage.
legislature
Feb 4, 2025
Legislature · Passed
Subcommittee Meeting: 02/06/2025 10:00AM Senate Lounge.
legislature
Jan 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Gruenhagen, Quirmbach, and Taylor.
upper
Jan 23, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, referred to Education.
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Kerry Gruenhagen
Kerry Gruenhagen
RRepublican
IA
41