Private colleges that participate in the Iowa Tuition Grant program would be barred from having diversity, equity and inclusion offices under a bill advancing in the Iowa House.
The program provides scholarships to students, based on financial need, who attend private colleges and universities in Iowa.
Republican Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis says private institutions across the state should be concerned with President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting DEI initiatives at colleges that receive federal funds.
“DEI is DOA in the state of Iowa, and for our private institutions, honestly, this bill should be the least of their worries. There's an executive order that President Trump has signed that I think they should be worrying about, worrying about much more than even this one,” Collins said.
If passed, anyone would be able to report a violation of the law to the attorney general.
A school that does not fix or disprove a violation would be blocked from participating in the Iowa Tuition Grant program starting the following year.
*Also concerning education, a Northwest Iowa principal who helped lead her district through historic flooding has been named the High School Principal of the Year.
Officials with School Administrators of Iowa picked Nicole Roder, the high school principal in Rock Valley, saying she built a positive and inclusive school culture where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired.
Roder has worked for the district since 2009. She previously taught Spanish and coached for West Central Valley Community Schools in Stuart.
Historic flooding hit Rock Valley in June and pushed back the start of the school year. Some classes were even moved into a temporary modular building until repairs can be made.
*Also in the Iowa Legislature, the House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would require Iowa driver’s licenses to show if the holder is a U.S. citizen or not.
Republican Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull says one of the main goals is to help verify the citizenship of voters. It’s illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote. But green card holders can get a driver’s license. Wheeler says the bill won’t change who can get a license.
“There have been poll workers that have reached out that have just said it’s been very difficult on election day to be able to distinguish a citizen from somebody who may not be a citizen. Obviously that can also be a challenge with somebody who’s been recently naturalized,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler says the bill doesn’t specify how the Iowa Department of Transportation would verify citizenship. Lawmakers also haven’t picked a deadline for when Iowans would have to update their license.
Democratic Representative Lindsay James of Dubuque voted against the bill. She says it could lead to discrimination against noncitizens when they use their ID for things other than voting.
*Additionally, more than 125 years ago, South Dakota became the first state to create a ballot initiative process for residents to adopt new laws.
Some Republican lawmakers are continuing a recent trend of trying to make the petition process more difficult, according to South Dakota News Watch.
Republican state Rep. John Hughes led a resolution that would raise the percentage of voters needed to pass constitutional amendments in a statewide election from 50 percent to 60 percent.
That would match Florida and Illinois for the highest voting threshold among the 18 states that allow for constitutional amendments through the initiative process.
Similar efforts to raise the voting threshold failed at the polls in 2018 and 2022.
Legislators have been more successful curtailing the process with statutory changes in Pierre. From 2018 to 2024, South Dakota passed 11 laws to make direct democracy more difficult, the most of any state.
Republicans have criticized the use of initiated amendments for policy provisions such as Medicaid expansion, which passed in 2022.
*Additionally, Republicans on an Iowa House panel advanced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit chemical emissions for the purpose of changing the weather.
The subcommittee hearing was packed with supporters who baselessly claimed the government and corporations are changing the weather. And they say the bill would help prevent so-called chemtrails, referencing a conspiracy theory about the white streaks that appear behind airplanes.
Robert Nazario, who lives in Hardin County, says lawmakers must take action.
“Geoengineering is real. Cloud seeding and chemtrails are real and have had a devastating effect on everyone. This practice over our skies and nation must end," Nazario said.
Democratic Representative Ken Croken was the only person in the room to speak against the proposal. He says he hasn’t seen evidence these things are happening, and he’s not sure how the state would enforce a ban when the source of the alleged emissions isn’t clear.
