Capitol Notebook: Iowa House advances bill capping university tuition increases at 3 percent

DES MOINES — Iowa’s three public universities would be limited to annual tuition increases of no more than 3 percent under legislation advanced Thursday by Iowa House Republicans.

Another bill that came out of House Republicans’ new Higher Education Committee, House Study Bill 51 would limit all annual tuition increases to 3 percent for in-state students at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa.

It also would require the three regents universities to:

“A static 3 percent in statute does not accommodate any changes in the economy or disaster or all the things that affect these institutions,” Board of Regents spokeswoman Carolann Jensen told the legislative panel considering the bill.

Jensen said the board has “consistently talked about” a formula that uses tied to the higher education Consumer Price Index as a marker for capping tuition increases.

Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chairman of the subcommittee on the bill and chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, summarily rejected that idea.

“I would be somewhat resistant to a higher education CPI versus like a Midwest CPI, because obviously the higher education CPI is much higher, to say the least,” Collins said during the meeting.

In 2024, the CPI rose 2.9 percent, and the higher education CPI rose 3.4 percent.

Collins and Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, signed off on advancing the bill. Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, declined to support the proposal.

Jacoby said he likes the idea of limiting tuition increases but believes limits should include a corresponding boost in state funding for the regents universities.

With its passage out of subcommittee, the bill becomes eligible for consideration by the full House Higher Education Committee.

Earlier school start date proposed

Start dates for Iowa schools could be pushed up earlier in August under a bill in the Iowa Senate.

Currently, Iowa schools cannot start any earlier than Aug. 23. This date was the product of a compromise between schools and the tourism industry in 2015. Before then, schools could start no earlier than the week that includes Sept. 1, to avoid overlap with the Iowa State Fair.

Under the proposal, for example, the first day of school could become Aug. 18 this year. The Iowa State Fair is Aug. 7 to Aug. 17 this year.

Senate Study Bill 1036, which unanimously advanced out of the Senate Education Subcommittee on Thursday, would give schools the choice to start as early as the Monday before the last Monday in August.

Lobbyists for school districts argued the current start date takes away local control from school districts.

Those lobbying for Iowa tourism entities, including Lake Okojobi and the Iowa State Fair, argued pushing up the school start date could deprive families of summer vacation time and the state of millions of dollars in tourism revenue.

A similar bill was introduced in the House but has not yet received a subcommittee assignment.

Fetal development materials in schools

Schools would be required to show certain fetal development materials as part of human growth and development curriculum for students in first through 12th grade under proposed legislation in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature.

The bill in the Iowa House and a similar one in the Senate comes a year after Iowa Republicans proposed requiring schools to show students a video titled “Meet Baby Olivia” produced by Live Action, an anti-abortion group.

While the bill in the Senate does not specify the video, the House bill states the rendering of fetal development shown to be comparable to “Meet Baby Olivia.” The House also would require the curriculum and materials for students in seventh through 12th grade.

Critics of the bill argue the “Baby Olivia” video has inaccuracies, including time frames for detectable fetal heartbeats and fetal viability.

The Iowa House Education Subcommittee advanced House Study Bill 34 and the Senate Education Committee advanced Senate Study Bill 1028, with members voting along party lines.

Age verification for online porn access

Age verification would be required to access obscene material online under a bill considered by the Iowa House Judiciary Subcommittee Wednesday.

The three-member subcommittee unanimously advanced House File 62, which would create civil liability for entities that publish or distribute obscene material on the internet that is accessed by minors.

Material is considered obscene if it “is patently offensive and when taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, scientific, political or artistic value.”

Nineteen other states have passed age verification legislation, including Nebraska in 2024.

Noah Meyers, representing the Family Leader Foundation, said exposure to pornographic material is harmful to children and families.

“It's important that there be some more roadblocks to protect the innocence of kids,” Meyers said.

Logan Murray, representing the Technology Association of Iowa, pointed out the legislation doesn’t contain guidelines for an age verification process. He also noted it would require a lot of data collection to verify a person’s age, which could put Iowans at risk of data breaches.

Another bill heard by the subcommittee would elevate the crime of distributing obscene material to minors to a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $1,025 to $10,245.

House File 64 advanced, with Rep. Megan Srinivas, D-Des Moines, opposed because of concerns it could place harsh and unintended criminal penalties on minors.

“There is a 14-year-old boy who discovers a Playboy under his father’s bed and now he shows that to his 14-year-old neighbor who he plays outside with,” Srinivas said. “Does that make him an automatic felon?”

Bird joins GOP states in threatening Costco

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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird co-led a letter signed by 19 Republican state attorneys general calling on Costco Wholesale to abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, citing concerns about discrimination and legal risks.

Last month, the Costco board of directors unanimously urged shareholders to vote against a proposal requiring Costco to report on the financial risks of its DEI policies.

The state attorneys general in a letter to Costco President and CEO Ron Vachris accused the company of doubling down on policies they allege violate merit-based principles and federal law.

The U.S. retailer has stores in West Des Moines, Ankeny, Coralville and Davenport.

“Costco should treat every person equally and based on their merit, rather than based on divisive and discriminatory DEI practices,” the letter stated.

It references President Donald Trump’s executive order directing government agency chiefs to dismantle DEI policies at federal agencies and encouraging the private sector to do the same.

The letter demands that Costco respond within 30 days to notify the states that it has repealed its DEI policies or explain its failure to do so.

Companies such as Amazon, Ford, John Deere, McDonalds, Meta and Walmart have scaled back or abandoned their DEI initiatives.

“While other companies right the ship and abandon their illegal, woke policies, Costco has doubled down,” Bird said in a statement. “I’m putting Costco on notice to do the right thing and eliminate discriminatory DEI.”

Bird joins GOP states in opposing California ag regulations

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird also led 23 states in a brief with the Supreme Court, supporting arguments against California's Proposition 12, which mandates stricter housing standards for certain farm animals like breeding pigs, egg-laying hens and veal calves.

The states argue the law unfairly burdens interstate commerce by imposing California's animal welfare standards on out-of-state producers who want to sell their products in California.

Iowa is the No. 1 producer and exporter of pork in the United States, employing approximately 147,000 Iowans who work to raise and deliver pork products.

The California law, passed by voters in 2018, requires that sows giving birth be given at least 24 square feet of space, more than most Iowa farmers use. Birthing sows generally are held in small gestation crates without enough room to turn around.

Animal rights groups have called the practice cruel and argue it could harm public health.

Bird said Proposition 12 sets harsh regulations that increase prices for consumers, and may force many pork producers unable to comply with the requirements to close their businesses.

“California’s radical pork ban, Proposition 12, raises pork prices and threatens to drive family farms out of business with extreme costs,” Bird said in a statement. “... California doesn’t get to tell Iowa farmers how to raise hogs in Iowa.”