HF 2541 (LSB 5691HV (1) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2541

BY  COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 664)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to local laws implementing the Iowa civil rights Act of 1965.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 216.19, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   All cities shall, to the extent possible, protect the rights of the citizens of this state secured by the Iowa civil rights Act.  A city or local government shall not enact any ordinance or other law which is broader or has different categories of unfair or discriminatory practices than those provided in this chapter. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as indicating any of the following:
    Sec. 2.  Section 216.19, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code 2026, is amended by striking the paragraph.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to local laws implementing the Iowa civil rights Act of 1965 (civil rights Act).
   The civil rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment, wages, public accommodations, housing, education, and credit practices based upon certain characteristics of a person. Current law requires cities, to the extent possible, to protect the rights of the citizens of this state under the civil rights Act, and provides that the civil rights Act shall not be construed as limiting a city or local government from enacting any ordinance or other law which prohibits broader or different categories of unfair or discriminatory practices. The bill strikes this limitation and instead prohibits cities and local governments from enacting any ordinance or other law which is broader or has different categories of unfair or discriminatory practices than those provided in the civil rights Act.