HF 342 (LSB 1540YH (3) 89)

HOUSE FILE 342

BY  SHIPLEY

A BILL FOR

An Act defining creed in the Iowa civil rights Act. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 216.2, Code 2021, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  4A.  “Creed” means a confession or articles of faith, formal declaration of religious beliefs, a formula or confession of religious faith, or a system of religious belief, and includes any sincerely held lived beliefs related to personal health and wellness, vaccinations, immunotherapies, and any medical device that could impair a person’s breathing or obscure the person’s face. 
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill defines “creed” in the Iowa civil rights Act of 1965 (Code chapter 216) to mean a confession or articles of faith, formal declaration of religious beliefs, a formula or confession of religious faith, or a system of religious belief, and includes any sincerely held lived beliefs related to personal health and wellness, vaccinations, immunotherapies, and any medical device that could impair a person’s breathing or obscure the person’s face. Under current law, the term “creed” is not defined. The Iowa civil rights Act of 1965 prohibits discrimination based on a person’s creed in the areas of employment, wages, accommodations, services, housing, education, and lending.