HF 2209 (LSB 5188HH (6) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2209

BY  WILLIAMS, LARSON, FETT, THOMSON, HENDERSON, HAYES, MOMMSEN, BEHN, WATKINS, LAWLER, SIEGRIST, SIECK, WENGRYN, HORA, SORENSEN, WULF, DIEKEN, JONES, YOUNG, BLOOMINGDALE, SITZMANN, GERHOLD, CISNEROS, SHIPLEY, HARRIS, DUNWELL, GEARHART, BRADLEY, BARKER, GOLDING, NORDMAN, THOMPSON, GUSTOFF, HOLT, WOOD, KNIFF McCULLA, and WHEELER

A BILL FOR

An Act providing for the admission of students to the Iowa state university of science and technology college of veterinary medicine.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 262.9, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  39A.  The board of regents and Iowa state university shall adopt policies governing the admission of students with an Iowa background to the college of veterinary medicine as provided in chapter 266, subchapter VI.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  266.61  Definitions.
   As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
   1.  “College of veterinary medicine” or “college” means Iowa state university of science and technology college of veterinary medicine.
   2.  “DVM degree program” means the four-year doctor of veterinary medicine professional degree program administered by the college of veterinary medicine.
   3.  “Iowa graduate veterinarian” means a person who has received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the college of veterinary medicine and becomes licensed to practice veterinary medicine in this state under chapter 169.
   4.  “Iowa resident” means any of the following:
   a.  An individual who graduated from an Iowa high school.
   b.  An individual who has lived in Iowa for at least four consecutive years immediately preceding the date the individual would begin classes at the college.
   5.  “Iowa rural community” means a county in the state with a population of less than twenty-five thousand according to the most recent decennial census released by the United States census bureau.
   6.  “Iowa state university” means Iowa state university of science and technology.
    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  266.62  Admissions policies —— objective.
   The board of regents and Iowa state university shall adopt policies governing the admission of students with Iowa backgrounds to the college of veterinary medicine in its DVM degree program who will become Iowa graduate veterinarians entering private practice in an Iowa rural community.
    Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  266.63  Admissions policies —— criteria and preferences.
   1.  The board of regents and Iowa state university shall adopt a policy requiring that not less than eighty percent of the students who are admitted to the college’s DVM degree program be Iowa residents or persons who were, prior to applying to the college, enrolled in an eligible postsecondary institution as defined in section 261E.2.
   2.  The board of regents and Iowa state university shall adopt a policy providing a preference in admitting students to the college’s DVM degree program who meet all of the following criteria:
   a.  Declares an intention to elect a mixed animal option track of college courses.
   b.  Declares an intention to enter private practice in an Iowa rural community.
   3.  In evaluating applicants for admission to the college’s DVM degree program, no consideration shall be given to a test that purports to assess noncognitive skills, ethics, and interpersonal traits, including but not limited to the computer-based assessment for sampling personal characteristics (CASPer) test.
    Sec. 5.  NEW SECTION.  266.64  Admissions policies —— application criteria.
   The board of regents and Iowa state university shall adopt a policy requiring an application for admission to the college in the DVM degree program include in the application all of the following:
   1.  Information regarding the applicant’s background including an attestation that includes whether or not all of the following apply:
   a.  That the applicant was born in Iowa or graduated from an Iowa high school.
   b.  That the applicant has immediate family members or in-laws who reside in Iowa.
   c.  That the applicant graduated from a public or private university, a college, or a community college located in Iowa.
   d.  That the applicant resided in an Iowa rural community.
   e.  That the applicant resided in a rural community other than an Iowa rural community, if all of the following apply:
   (1)  The applicant’s rural community had similar characteristics to a similarly sized Iowa rural community.
   (2)  The applicant’s rural community experienced a lack of private practicing veterinarians.
   f.  That none of the paragraphs “a” through “e” apply to the applicant, but that the applicant is planning on becoming an Iowa graduate licensed veterinarian.
   g.  That none of the paragraphs “a” through “f” apply to the applicant, but the applicant is interested in attending the college’s DVM degree program.
   2.  A declaration that the applicant intends to do any of the following:
   a.  Elect a mixed animal option track of courses.
   b.  Enter private practice in an Iowa rural community.
    Sec. 6.  NEW SECTION.  266.65  Admissions policies —— report.
   1.  Iowa state university shall submit a college of veterinary medicine admission report to the governor and general assembly by January 15 of each year.
   2.  The report described in subsection 1 shall include all of the following:
   a.  The number of applicants who are Iowa residents who were accepted to the college’s DVM degree program, and the number of those applicants that were admitted and not admitted, including as a percentage. The report shall include a brief statement explaining why each applicant was not admitted.
   b.  The number of applicants who were, prior to applying to the college, enrolled in an eligible postsecondary institution as defined in section 261E.2, and the number of those applicants that were admitted and not admitted, including as a percentage. The report shall include a brief statement explaining why each applicant was not admitted.
   c.  The number of applicants who declared an intention to elect a mixed animal option track of college courses and the number of those applicants that were admitted and not admitted, including as a percentage. The report shall include a brief statement explaining why each applicant was not admitted.
   d.  The number of applicants who declared an intention to enter private practice in an Iowa rural community and the number of those applicants that were admitted and not admitted, including as a percentage. The report shall include a brief statement explaining why each applicant was not admitted.
   3.  Personal information regarding an applicant in an annual report submitted pursuant to this section shall be kept confidential as required under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. §1232g, and in the same manner as personal information in student records maintained, created, collected, or assembled by or for a school corporation or educational institution in accordance with section 22.7, subsection 1.
    Sec. 7.  DIRECTIONS TO CODE EDITOR.  The Code editor is directed to arrange the following sections in chapter 266, as enacted by this Act, into a new subchapter VI:
   Sections 266.61 through 266.70.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   GENERAL. This bill provides for the admission of students to the Iowa state university of science and technology (ISU) college of veterinary medicine (college). The bill is based on provisions enacted in 2025 Iowa Acts, chapter 164, requiring similar policies for the admission of students to the college of medicine or the college of dentistry at the state university of Iowa.
   OBJECTIVE. Under the bill, the board of regents and ISU are required to adopt policies governing the admission of Iowa students to the college’s four-year veterinary medicine professional degree program (DVM program) to accomplish the objective of graduating veterinarians who will enter private practice in an Iowa rural community (having a population of less than 25,000).
   PERCENTAGE REQUIREMENT. The bill requires that not less than 80 percent of students who are admitted to the college’s DVM degree program be Iowa residents or individuals who, prior to applying to the college, were enrolled in an Iowa postsecondary institution.
   APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. The bill requires the board of regents and ISU to adopt a policy providing a preference in admitting students to the college’s DVM degree program who declare an intention to (1) elect a mixed animal option track of college courses and (2) enter private practice in an Iowa rural community. In addition, consideration cannot be given to a test that purports to assess noncognitive skills, ethics, and interpersonal traits (e.g., the CASPer test). The bill provides that an applicant must attest to facts regarding the applicant’s Iowa background and declare whether the applicant intends to elect a mixed animal option college course track and after graduation enter private practice in an Iowa rural community.
   REPORT. ISU is required to submit an annual report to the governor and general assembly describing its progress in meeting the statutory objective. Personal information regarding an applicant is required to be confidential.