House Study Bill 669 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON HOLT) A BILL FOR An Act allowing a person to raise, guide, and instruct a child 1 in a manner consistent with the child’s sex. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 6835YC (3) 91 dg/ko

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 232.68, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 1 2026, is amended to read as follows: 2 b. “Child abuse” or “abuse” shall does not be construed to 3 hold a include any of the following: 4 (1) A victim responsible for failing to prevent a crime 5 against the victim. 6 (2) Raising, guiding, or instructing a child in a manner 7 consistent with the child’s sex, including but not limited to 8 all of the following: 9 (a) Referring to the child by titles or pronouns consistent 10 with the child’s sex. 11 (b) Seeking and consenting to a mental health service 12 for a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life 13 consistent with the child’s sex. 14 (c) Making mental health or medical decisions based on the 15 child’s sex. 16 (d) Declining to consent to gender transition 17 procedure-related activity, as described in section 147.164, 18 for a child. 19 Sec. 2. Section 232.71B, subsection 7, Code 2026, is amended 20 to read as follows: 21 7. Facility or school visit. 22 a. The assessment may include a visit to a facility 23 providing care to the child named in the report or to any 24 public or private school subject to the authority of the 25 department of education where the child named in the report is 26 located. 27 b. The administrator of a facility, or a public school, or 28 a private school shall cooperate with the a child protection 29 worker by providing confidential access to the child named in 30 the a child abuse report for the purpose of interviewing the 31 child, and shall allow the child protection worker confidential 32 access to other children for the purpose of conducting 33 interviews in order to obtain relevant information. 34 c. The child protection worker may observe a child named in 35 -1- LSB 6835YC (3) 91 dg/ko 1/ 5

H.F. _____ a report in accordance with the provisions of section 232.68, 1 subsection 3 , paragraph “b” . A witness shall be present during 2 an observation of a child. Any 3 d. A child aged ten years of age or older can terminate 4 contact with the child protection worker by stating or 5 indicating the child’s wish to discontinue the contact. 6 e. The immunity granted by section 232.73 applies to acts or 7 omissions in good faith of administrators and their facilities 8 or school districts for cooperating in an assessment and 9 allowing confidential access to a child. 10 Sec. 3. Section 237.5, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 11 following new subsection: 12 NEW SUBSECTION . 4. The department shall not refuse to issue 13 an individual or an agency a license based, in whole or in 14 part, on the individual’s or agency’s intent to raise, guide, 15 or instruct a child in a manner consistent with the child’s 16 sex, including but not limited to all of the following: 17 a. Referring to the child by titles or pronouns consistent 18 with the child’s sex. 19 b. Seeking and consenting to a mental health service for 20 a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life 21 consistent with the child’s sex. 22 c. Making mental health or medical decisions based on the 23 child’s sex. 24 d. Declining to consent to gender transition 25 procedure-related activity, as described in section 147.164, 26 for a child. 27 Sec. 4. Section 598.41, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 28 following new subsection: 29 NEW SUBSECTION . 3A. In considering what custody 30 arrangement under subsection 2 is in the best interests of the 31 minor child, the court shall not consider as a negative factor 32 that a parent is raising, guiding, or instructing, or intends 33 to raise, guide, or instruct, the child in a manner consistent 34 with the child’s sex, including but not limited to all of the 35 -2- LSB 6835YC (3) 91 dg/ko 2/ 5

H.F. _____ following: 1 a. Referring to the child by titles or pronouns consistent 2 with the child’s sex. 3 b. Seeking and consenting to a mental health service for 4 a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life 5 consistent with the child’s sex. 6 c. Making mental health or medical decisions based on the 7 child’s sex. 8 d. Declining to consent to gender transition 9 procedure-related activity, as described in section 147.164, 10 for a child. 11 Sec. 5. Section 600.7A, Code 2026, is amended to read as 12 follows: 13 600.7A Adoption services provided by or through the 14 department Rules —— selection of adoptive parent criteria. 15 1. The department shall adopt rules which provide that if 16 adoption services are provided by or through the department, 17 notwithstanding any other selection of adoptive parent 18 criteria, the overriding criterion shall be a preference for 19 placing a child in a stable home environment as expeditiously 20 as possible. 21 2. The department shall not adopt rules that will preclude 22 an individual from consideration as an adoptive parent based, 23 in whole or in part, on the individual’s intent to raise, 24 guide, or instruct a child in a manner consistent with the 25 child’s sex, including but not limited to all of the following: 26 a. Referring to the child by titles or pronouns consistent 27 with the child’s sex. 28 b. Seeking and consenting to a mental health service for 29 a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life 30 consistent with the child’s sex. 31 c. Making mental health or medical decisions based on the 32 child’s sex. 33 d. Declining to consent to gender transition 34 procedure-related activity, as described in section 147.164, 35 -3- LSB 6835YC (3) 91 dg/ko 3/ 5

H.F. _____ for a child. 1 Sec. 6. Section 726.6, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 2 following new subsection: 3 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. “Child endangerment” , as described in 4 subsection 1, does not include a person raising, guiding, or 5 instructing a child or a minor in a manner consistent with the 6 child’s or minor’s sex, including but not limited to all of the 7 following: 8 a. Referring to the child by titles or pronouns consistent 9 with the child’s sex. 10 b. Seeking and consenting to a mental health service for 11 a child for the purpose of helping the child live a life 12 consistent with the child’s sex. 13 c. Making mental health or medical decisions based on the 14 child’s sex. 15 d. Declining to consent to gender transition 16 procedure-related activity, as described in section 147.164, 17 for a child. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill allows a person to raise, guide, and instruct a 22 child in a manner consistent with the child’s sex. 23 The bill exempts from the definition of child abuse a 24 person raising, guiding, or instructing a child in a manner 25 consistent with the child’s sex, including but not limited to 26 referring to the child by titles or pronouns consistent with 27 the child’s sex; seeking and consenting to a mental health 28 service for a child for the purpose of helping the child live 29 a life consistent with the child’s sex; making mental health 30 or medical decisions based on the child’s sex; and declining 31 to consent to gender transition procedure-related activity 32 for a child. The bill adds similar language to foster parent 33 licensing considerations, court-ordered custody considerations 34 during a dissolution of marriage, prospective adoptive parent 35 -4- LSB 6835YC (3) 91 dg/ko 4/ 5

H.F. _____ considerations, and exemptions to the definition of child 1 endangerment. 2 The bill makes a conforming change to Code section 232.71B 3 (duties of the department upon receipt of [child abuse] 4 report). 5 -5- LSB 6835YC (3) 91 dg/ko 5/ 5