Education

passed · Iowa · House Jun 16, 2025

HF 389: A bill for an act relating to student abuse by school employees.

HF 389 creates a new process for investigating student abuse by school employees in Iowa. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) to investigate reports within 24 hours and complete investigations within 30 business days. Schools must immediately place accused employees (including teachers, vendors, and volunteers) on administrative leave during investigations, and must terminate employment if DHS confirms abuse. This directly affects public and nonpublic schools, their employees, and the DHS, replacing current procedures with a standardized, time-bound system for handling such reports.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates swift investigations and termination of abusive school employees, directly protecting student safety in educational settings.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

Track

signed · Iowa · House Jun 11, 2025

HF 516: A bill for an act relating to medical residency and fellowship positions, including priority for admission to the university of Iowa’s colleges of medicine and dentistry, and hospitals and clinics.

HF 516 creates priority access for residency and fellowship positions at the University of Iowa’s colleges of medicine and dentistry, directly affecting UI’s medical programs and their affiliated hospitals and clinics. The bill requires state-funded training programs to prioritize applicants from these UI institutions when filling medical residency and fellowship roles. Now law after Governor signed it on June 11, 2025, this policy change aims to strengthen UI’s medical education pipeline without altering broader admission standards for other institutions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationPrioritizes University of Iowa medical students for residency positions, strengthening its medical education pipeline and directly supporting higher education at a specific institution.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill prioritizes University of Iowa medical residency programs to strengthen healthcare workforce pipeline, directly advancing medical education and future provider capacity per its summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House Jun 11, 2025

HF 437: A bill for an act establishing a center for intellectual freedom at the university of Iowa.

HF 437 establishes a Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa. The bill creates a formal unit within the university dedicated to supporting academic freedom, free expression, and open inquiry on campus. It directly affects the University of Iowa by requiring the institution to develop and maintain this center as part of its operations. The law was passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor on June 11, 2025, making it effective immediately.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes a Center for Intellectual Freedom at University of Iowa to directly support academic freedom and open inquiry in higher education, advancing core educational values.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 6, 2025

SF 288: A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.

SF 288 requires public colleges and universities governed by the Board of Regents and community colleges to provide academic accommodations for students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth. The law specifically allows these students to withdraw from courses without academic penalty if pregnancy or childbirth prevents them from continuing their studies. Institutions must also provide clear information about available support services, including health care and childcare resources. This policy directly affects pregnant and postpartum students enrolled at these specific public higher education institutions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates academic accommodations and support services for pregnant/students, directly enhancing educational access and equity in higher education institutions.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates institutions to provide health care resource information, improving student access to health services for pregnancy-related needs.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House Jun 6, 2025

HF 787: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the calculation of the teacher salary supplement district cost per pupil, teacher preparation requirements, out-of-state placement of certain specified students requiring special education, the duties of the department of education, and minimum teacher salaries, and including effective date provisions.

HF 787 modifies several education policies in the state. It changes how school districts calculate teacher salary supplements, updates requirements for teacher training programs, and sets rules for placing students needing special education services out of state. The bill also defines the Department of Education's duties and establishes minimum salary levels for teachers. These changes directly affect school districts, educators, and students requiring special education services. The bill became law after passing the legislature and being signed by the Governor.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes minimum teacher salaries, updates teacher preparation requirements, and modifies salary supplement calculations to support educators and special education services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 6, 2025

SF 175: A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades five through twelve.

SF 175 requires public school districts, charter schools, and other accredited schools to add specific content about pregnancy and fetal development to health and human growth classes for students in grades 5 through 12. This policy change directly affects all schools in the state and their students in those grade levels by mandating the inclusion of this topic in existing health education. The bill does not alter funding or create new programs but updates curriculum standards to include this subject matter. It was passed by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor on June 6, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates inclusion of pregnancy/fetal development in health curricula for grades 5-12, enhancing curriculum standards per educational requirements.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

signed · Iowa · House Jun 2, 2025

HF 784: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to mathematics instruction, practitioner preparation programs, and the duties of the director of the department of education, and including effective date provisions.

HF 784 modifies Minnesota's education laws to change mathematics instruction standards, update teacher training program requirements, and clarify the duties of the state education director. It directly affects K-12 schools, math teachers, and educator preparation programs by setting new guidelines for how math is taught and how teachers are trained. Key provisions include requiring specific math teaching methods and updating the process for approving teacher education programs. The bill also includes provisions for when these changes take effect. It was signed into law by the governor in June 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationModifies math instruction standards and updates teacher training programs to strengthen educational quality and teacher preparation, directly advancing K-12 education standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · Senate May 27, 2025

SF 278: A bill for an act relating to robotics extracurricular activities, including requiring the department of education to provide technical assistance to school districts related to chartering career and technical student organizations related to robotics and authorizing high school athletic organizations to sponsor interscholastic contests related to robotics.

SF 278 requires the state Department of Education to provide technical assistance to school districts seeking to establish robotics-focused career and technical student organizations (CTSOs). It also authorizes high school athletic associations to sponsor interscholastic robotics competitions. The bill directly affects public high schools, students participating in robotics programs, and school administrators managing career and technical education. Key provisions create a structured pathway for schools to develop robotics clubs and integrate them into existing athletic or career-focused competition frameworks.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires DOE technical assistance for robotics CTSOs and authorizes competitions, expanding career-focused extracurricular opportunities in K-12 education.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · Senate May 27, 2025

SF 369: A bill for an act requiring students to pass the United States citizenship and immigration services naturalization civics test as a condition of high school graduation and high school equivalency diplomas.

SF 369 requires students to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization civics test to earn a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma. This law directly affects all high school students in the state and those pursuing equivalent credentials. The key provision mandates passing this specific civics test, which covers U.S. history, government, and civic principles, as a graduation requirement. The bill was signed into law by the Governor on May 27, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates civics test as graduation requirement, directly enhancing curriculum standards and civic education in K-12 system.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

signed · Iowa · House May 27, 2025

HF 835: A bill for an act relating to school personnel training, including by implementing provisions related to emergency care planning, authorizations for assisting, and limitations of liability concerning students with epilepsy or seizure disorder, and requiring the department of education to convene a health care-related training for school personnel work group.

HF 835 requires schools to train personnel on emergency care for students with epilepsy or seizure disorders. It mandates specific emergency care planning, authorizes staff to assist students during seizures, and limits their liability when acting in good faith. The bill also directs the Department of Education to form a work group to develop health care training standards for school staff. These changes directly affect school personnel and students with seizure disorders across the state.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates school staff training for student seizure emergencies, enhancing safety and access for students with epilepsy, directly supporting educational environment95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education