Capitol Notebook: Iowa Senate advances bill requiring students to take naturalization test

Iowa students would be required to pass the same test given to those who apply for U.S. citizenship in order to graduate from high school under legislation advanced Monday by the Iowa Senate.

Senate File 369, which was advanced 38-7, would require high schoolers to take and pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization civics test.

Under the bill, students in ninth through 12th grade would need to get a score of 60 percent or higher on the most recent version of the multiple-choice test to graduate from high school or receive a high school equivalency diploma. Students who fail would be able to retake the exam as many times as they need until they pass.

Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed the requirement in January during her Condition of the State address to state lawmakers.

Supporters of the legislation argue it would help increase public understanding of civics and how the U.S. government works.

“Civics is going to be one of the things that can help bring us back together and not be so divided within our country,” said Republican Sen. Jesse Green, of Boone. “A greater appreciation for what we have and what makes us unique and special is the key to bridging these divides.”

Critics of the bill say a required standardized test is not an effective way to ensure students have a good understanding of U.S. civics. Democratic Sen. Herman Quirmbach, of Ames, suggested the test be administered in tandem with a civics course so students could gain a more in-depth understanding of the test’s concepts.

“The high-stakes test that's proposed in this bill is not connected to any particular course requirement and is simply imposed,” Quirmbach said. “Students are allowed multiple chances to pass it, but even if they do pass it, it doesn't seem to me that they're really going to have a good chance of understanding what it is that they pass.”

Sixteen states, including Wisconsin and Missouri, currently have the exam as a requirement to graduate from high school. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

Senate amends bill for medical school admission

Public Iowa medical schools would be required have a majority of applicants admitted into medical residency programs be Iowa residents or have Iowa ties under legislation passed Monday by the Iowa Senate.

House File 516, which passed the Iowa House in March, would require 80 percent of those admitted to the University of Iowa’s medical and dentistry colleges to be Iowa residents or students at Iowa colleges. It would require the medical program to offer medical residency interviews to any applicant with Iowa ties who is working in a high-need field.

The bill passed primarily along party lines 34-11, with three Democrats joining Republicans to advance it.

Republican Sen. Mike Klimesh, of Spillville, said the legislation will help address Iowa’s health care workforce shortage by ensuring that more medical students stay in the state after finishing their residencies.

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“The goal of this bill is to ensure Iowa taxpayer-funded residency slots and loan repayment programs are benefiting Iowans,” Klimesh said. “The policy ensures priorities given to the next generation of Iowans, whether born and raised in the state or educated as a high school graduate or some level of post secondary education when seeking a career in medicine or dentistry.”

Opponents of the legislation said it would pressure Iowa medical schools to admit candidates who are less qualified than others based on their Iowa ties, calling is an “affirmative action” bill.

“The most qualified applicants should be our priority for Iowa medical school, but the majority party is going to mandate quotas, give special status to one group of students over others based on identity rather than merit,” Democratic Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, of West Des Moines, said.

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If passed, the bill is estimated by the nonpartisan Legislative Service Agency to reduce revenues to the UI colleges of medicine and dentistry by $529,000 in 2027 and grow in future years because of the higher tuition rate that non-residents pay.

The Senate amended the bill to identify Iowa applicants as students who were born in Iowa or graduate from Iowa high school; have family members or in-laws who reside in Iowa; or who graduated from an Iowa public university, private college or community college, or resided in a rural community that has similar characteristics to rural communities in Iowa.

If applicants don’t meet these requirements, they can also attest that they're interested in practicing in Iowa after graduation.

The bill must go back to the House for a vote on the new amendment before it goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for approval.

Higher penalties for showing obscene materials to minors advances

Showing minors obscene materials would come with increased punishment under legislation unanimously advanced Monday by the Iowa Senate.

House File 306 would establish stricter criminal offenses for any person, other than a parent or guardian of a minor, who exposes minors to obscene materials.

Exposing minors to obscene materials is a serious misdemeanor, which is punishable by confinement for up to one year and a fine of between $430 and $2,560.

The legislation would establish tiers of punishment depending on how many times a person has committed the offense.

A second offense would be an aggravated misdemeanor, which is punishable by confinement for up to two years and a fine of between $855 and $8,540. A third offense would be a Class D felony, which is punishable by confinement of up to five years and a fine of between $1,025 and $10,245.

The legislation would also require those convicted of the offense to register as sex offenders for 10 years.

The bill, which was passed by the House in March, will go to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for approval.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau