SF 507 (LSB 2065SV (2) 91)

SENATE FILE 507

BY  COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1150)

A BILL FOR

An Act restricting county and city diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 331.301, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  27.  a.  A county or any county board or office shall not adopt an ordinance, motion, resolution, amendment, or policy, except as otherwise provided by federal or state law, that does any of the following:
   (1)  Establishes or maintains a diversity, equity, and inclusion office.
   (2)  Hires or assigns an employee or contracts with a third party to perform duties of a diversity, equity, or inclusion office.
   (3)  Compels, requires, induces, or solicits any person to provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, or gives preferential consideration to any person based on the provisions of a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement.
   b.  For purposes of this subsection:
   (1)  “Diversity, equity, and inclusion” includes all of the following:
   (a)  Any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of a board of supervisors, any county board or office, or county employee positions with reference to race, sex, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral hiring in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws.
   (b)  Any effort to promote differential treatment of or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
   (c)  Any effort to promote or promulgate policies and procedures designed or implemented to encourage differential treatment or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
   (d)  Any effort to promote or promulgate trainings, programming, or activities designed or implemented to encourage differential treatment or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This subparagraph division shall not be construed to prohibit trainings, programming, or activities consistent with section 80B.11G.
   (e)  Any effort to promote, as the official position of the county, policies, programs, trainings, practices, activities, or procedures referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts.
   (2)  “Diversity, equity, and inclusion office” means any division, office, center, or other unit of county government that is responsible for creating, developing, designing, implementing, organizing, planning, or promoting policies, programming, training, practices, activities, or procedures that meet the definition of “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion office” does not include licensed attorneys and paralegal and secretarial support for the licensed attorneys hired by the county to ensure legal compliance with the county’s obligations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq., as amended, the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, 29 U.S.C. §621 et seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, as amended, or any other applicable federal or state law or a court order.
    Sec. 2.  Section 364.3, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  20.  a.  A city or any city board or office shall not adopt an ordinance, motion, resolution, amendment, or policy, except as otherwise provided by federal or state law, that does any of the following:
   (1)  Establishes or maintains a diversity, equity, and inclusion office.
   (2)  Hires or assigns an employee or contracts with a third party to perform duties of a diversity, equity, or inclusion office.
   (3)  Compels, requires, induces, or solicits any person to provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, or gives preferential consideration to any person based on the provisions of a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement.
   b.  For purposes of this subsection:
   (1)  “Diversity, equity, and inclusion” includes all of the following:
   (a)  Any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of a city council, any city board or office, or city employee positions with reference to race, sex, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral hiring in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws.
   (b)  Any effort to promote differential treatment of or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
   (c)  Any effort to promote or promulgate policies and procedures designed or implemented to encourage differential treatment or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
   (d)  Any effort to promote or promulgate trainings, programming, or activities designed or implemented to encourage differential treatment or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This subparagraph division shall not be construed to prohibit trainings, programming, or activities consistent with section 80B.11G.
   (e)  Any effort to promote, as the official position of the city, policies, programs, trainings, practices, activities, or procedures referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts.
   (2)  “Diversity, equity, and inclusion office” means any division, office, center, or other unit of city government that is responsible for creating, developing, designing, implementing, organizing, planning, or promoting policies, programming, training, practices, activities, or procedures that meet the definition of “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion office” does not include licensed attorneys and paralegal and secretarial support for the licensed attorneys hired by the city to ensure legal compliance with the city’s obligations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq., as amended, the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, 29 U.S.C. §621 et seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, as amended, or any other applicable federal or state law or a court order.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill prohibits a county, a city, or any county or city board or office from adopting an ordinance, motion, resolution, amendment, or policy, except as otherwise provided by federal or state law, that does any of the following: establishes or maintains a diversity, equity, and inclusion office; hires or assigns an employee or contracts with a third party to perform duties of a diversity, equity, or inclusion office; or compels, requires, induces, or solicits any person to provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, or gives preferential consideration to any person based on the provisions of a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement.
   The bill provides that “diversity, equity, and inclusion” includes: any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of a county board of supervisors, a city council, any county or city board or office, or county or city employee positions with reference to race, sex, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral hiring in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws; any effort by a county or city to promote differential treatment of or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation; any effort by a county or city to promote or promulgate policies and procedures designed or implemented to encourage differential treatment or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation; any effort by a county or city to promote or promulgate trainings, programming, or activities designed or implemented to encourage differential treatment or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation; and any effort by a county or city to promote, as the official position of the city, policies, programs, trainings, practices, activities, or procedures referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts. These prohibitions shall not be construed to prohibit trainings, programming, or activities consistent with de-escalation techniques and prevention of bias.
   The bill provides that “diversity, equity, and inclusion office” means any division, office, center, or other unit of county or city government that is responsible for creating, developing, designing, implementing, organizing, planning, or promoting policies, programming, training, practices, activities, or procedures related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion office” does not include the work product of licensed attorneys and paralegal and secretarial support for the licensed attorneys hired by a county or city to ensure legal compliance with a county or city’s obligations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq., as amended, the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, 29 U.S.C. §621 et seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, as amended, or any other applicable federal or state law or a court order.