House File 222 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1providing for the reduction of certain funding and
2budgets for public schools, community colleges, and regents
3institutions following the use of specified curriculum and
4including effective date and applicability provisions.
5BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1   Section 1.  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.
   21.  The general assembly finds that recently developed
3United States history curriculum derived from a project by the
4New York Times, known as the “1619 Project”, attempts to deny
5or obfuscate the fundamental principles upon which the United
6States was founded
.
   72.  The general assembly has a strong interest in promoting
8an accurate account of this nation’s history through public
9schools and forming young people into knowledgeable and
10patriotic citizens.
11   Sec. 2.  Section 256.11, Code 2021, is amended by adding the
12following new subsection:
13   NEW SUBSECTION.  5A.  A school shall not utilize any United
14States history curriculum that in whole or in part is derived
15from a project by the New York Times, known as the “1619
16Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum.
17   Sec. 3.  Section 257.7, Code 2021, is amended by adding the
18following new subsection:
19   NEW SUBSECTION.  3.  Budget reductions for curriculum
20violations.
  The amount of a school district’s budget
21otherwise determined under subsection 1 shall be reduced by
22one one-hundred-eightieth for each day of the previous budget
23year for which the school district used school curriculum in
24violation of section 256.11, subsection 5A.
25   Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  257.17A  Aid reduction for curriculum
26violations.
   271.  State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for a
28fiscal year shall be reduced by one one-hundred-eightieth for
29each day of that fiscal year for which the school district used
30school curriculum in violation of section 256.11, subsection
315A, during the prior school year.
   322.  The department of management shall prorate the reduction
33made pursuant to this section to account for a school district
34that is approved to maintain a year-round school calendar under
35section 279.10, subsection 2.
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1   Sec. 5.  Section 260C.17, subsection 1, Code 2021, is amended
2to read as follows:
   31.  The board of directors of each merged area shall prepare
4an annual budget designating the proposed expenditures for
5operation of the community college. The board shall further
6designate the amounts which are to be raised by local taxation
7and the amounts which are to be raised by other sources of
8revenue for the operation. The budget of each merged area
9shall be submitted to the state board no later than May 1
10preceding the next fiscal year for approval. The state board
11shall review the proposed budget and shall, prior to June 1,
12either grant its approval or return the budget without approval
13with the comments of the state board attached to it. Any
14unapproved budget shall be resubmitted to the state board for
15final approval. If the merged area has utilized any United
16States history curriculum during the previous fiscal year that
17in whole or in part is derived from a project by the New York
18Times, known as the “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed
19curriculum, the state board shall reduce the merged area’s
20final total budget by an amount proportionate to the number
21of days during that fiscal year that the curriculum was used.

22 Upon approval of the budget by the state board, the board of
23directors shall certify the amount to the respective county
24auditors and the boards of supervisors annually shall levy a
25tax of twenty and one-fourth cents per thousand dollars of
26assessed value on taxable property in a merged area for the
27operation of a community college. Taxes collected pursuant
28to the levy shall be paid by the respective county treasurers
29to the treasurer of the merged area as provided in section
30331.552, subsection 29.
31   Sec. 6.  Section 262.28, Code 2021, is amended to read as
32follows:
   33262.28  Appropriations — monthly installments.
   341.  All appropriations made payable annually to each of the
35institutions under the control of the board of regents shall be
-2-1paid in twelve equal monthly installments on the last day of
2each month on order of said board.
   32.  If an institution under the control of the board of
4regents has utilized any United States history curriculum
5during the previous fiscal year that in whole or in part is
6derived from a project by the New York Times, known as the
7“1619 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum, the
8monthly appropriations paid to the institution shall be reduced
9by an amount proportionate to the number of days during that
10fiscal year that the curriculum was used.
11   Sec. 7.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of immediate
12importance, takes effect upon enactment.
13   Sec. 8.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to budgets, state
14aid payments, and appropriations for fiscal years beginning on
15or after July 1, 2021.
16EXPLANATION
17The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
18the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   19This bill includes findings of the general assembly that
20the recently developed United States history curriculum
21derived from a project by the New York Times, known as the
22“1619 Project”, attempts to deny or obfuscate the fundamental
23principles upon which the United States was founded and that
24the general assembly has a strong interest in promoting an
25accurate account of this nation’s history through public
26schools and forming young people into knowledgeable and
27patriotic citizens.
   28The bill amends provisions governing the educational program
29established by the state board of education to prohibit a
30school from utilizing any United States history curriculum that
31in whole or in part is derived from a project by the New York
32Times, known as the “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed
33curriculum. The bill requires reductions to the authorized
34budget of and state aid payments to a school district that
35violates the prohibition on the use of prohibited curriculum.
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   1The bill also provides that if a merged area (community
2college) has utilized any United States history curriculum
3during the previous fiscal year that in whole or in part is
4derived from a project by the New York Times, known as the
5“1619 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum, the
6state board shall reduce the merged area’s final total budget
7by an amount proportionate to the number of days during that
8fiscal year that the curriculum was used.
   9Under the bill, if an institution under the control of
10the board of regents has utilized any United States history
11curriculum during the previous fiscal year that in whole or in
12part is derived from a project by the New York Times, known as
13the “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum, the
14monthly appropriations paid to the institution shall be reduced
15by an amount proportionate to the number of days during that
16fiscal year that the curriculum was used.
   17The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to budgets,
18state aid payments, and appropriations for fiscal years
19beginning on or after July 1, 2021.
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