Capitol Notebook: Trump’s order ends DEI at universities, Gov. Reynolds tells Iowa schools

DES MOINES — No justification remains for any of Iowa’s three public universities to have DEI offices, policies or staff after a recent executive order from President Donald Trump, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday in a letter to the schools’ presidents.

Reynolds posted the letter to her social media accounts Thursday.

“Today, I sent a letter to university presidents reminding them about their obligation to comply with state law and President Trump’s executive order ending illegal DEI,” Reynolds said in her post.

The letter was dated Thursday and sent to University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson, Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, and University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook.

Trump this week issued an executive order to abolish DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — policies in the federal government and to encourage the private sector to do the same. Trump’s executive order states that each federal government agency should include with any contract or grant a requirement that the recipient “does not operate any programs promoting DEI.”

Reynolds noted that in 2024, she and statehouse Republicans passed a state law that prohibited the state’s public universities from having DEI offices or staff.

“Taken together, existing state law and this federal executive action should remove any justification for retaining illegal DEI offices, policies, or staff within your universities,” Reynolds’ letter to the university presidents states. “I trust that your respective institutions will faithfully implement this executive order and the forthcoming guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice.”

A copy of Reynolds’ later also was sent to the Iowa Board of Regents, the government body — whose members are appointed by the governor — that oversees the state’s three public universities.

Today, I sent a letter to university presidents reminding them about their obligation to comply with state law and President Trump’s executive order ending illegal DEI. pic.twitter.com/guwxz44kLl

— Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) January 23, 2025

Requiring pregnancy and fetal development in human growth curriculum advances

Iowa K-12 schools would be required to teach first- through 12th-grade students about the development of a fetus during health and human growth and development classes under legislation that advanced in the Iowa Senate.

The new bill, Senate Study Bill 1028, is similar to legislation introduced in previous sessions that would have required the teaching of “Baby Olivia,” a video produced by the anti-abortion group Live Action. That bill failed to pass the Iowa Legislature.

The new bill does not specify a video, but says that schools must teach a human growth curriculum that includes a high-definition ultrasound video showing a fetus’ vital organs and a “high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation that depicts the humanity of the unborn child.”

The bill also requires, among other things, the teaching of “prenatal human development, starting at fertilization.”

Critics of the bill who spoke at a subcommittee hearing Thursday said it would require schools to teach topics based on religious beliefs instead of science.

Supporters said they believe teaching young students the bill’s required curriculum could influence young Iowans’ views on abortion and make them less likely to have one later in life.

The two Republicans on a three-member legislative panel — Reps. Jeff Taylor and Sandy Salmon — moved to advance the legislation. It is now eligible for consideration by the full Iowa Senate Education Committee.

Democratic Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott declined to support the bill.

Naturalization test requirement for high school graduation advances

Iowa students would be required to pass the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization civics test to graduate high school under legislation currently being considered by lawmakers.

The three-member Iowa House Education Subcommittee moved a bill forward Wednesday that would require high schoolers to take and pass the same USCIS naturalization civics test as those who apply for U.S. citizenship are required to pass.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed the requirement in her Condition of the State address on Jan. 14.

Under House Study Bill 30, students in ninth through 12th grade would need to get a score of 60 percent or higher on the multiple choice test to graduate 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.

The test consists of 10 out of 100 potential questions relating to U.S. history and government. The requirement would begin at the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Rep. Elinor Levin D-Iowa City said she needed clarification on multiple components of the bill, including what format the tests would be in and how they would be administered.

Rep. Barbara Kniff McCulla R-Pella said U.S.-born citizens should be required to take the test and learn the same information as others coming to the county.

Year-round fireworks sales pitched

Fireworks could be sold year-round at permanent stores, lifting current restrictions, and could be set off on Election Day under a bill proposed in the Iowa House.

Currently in Iowa, consumer fireworks can be sold in brick-and-mortar stores only from July 1-8 and Dec. 10-Jan. 3. And fireworks can be displayed only on those same days.

Under House File 44, fireworks could be sold in permanent structures year-round. And Election Day every two years would be added to the days when it is permissible to display fireworks.

Lobbyists for fireworks companies and conservative advocacy groups expressed support for the bill during a subcommittee hearing Thursday. Some said they would support it going even further by legalizing fireworks on even more dates and around other holidays.

The two Republicans on the three-member public safety panel — Reps. Bill Gustoff and Jason Gearhart — advanced the bill, making it eligible for consideration by the full Iowa House Public Safety Committee.

A lobbyist for the Iowa Firefighters Association expressed the group’s opposition, citing safety concerns around fireworks displays and storage.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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