The Iowa House passed a handful of higher education bills Thursday aimed at regulating general education courses and offering steadier tuition rates at the state’s public universities. An additional proposal outlines membership criteria for presidential selection committees.
The proposals are the latest efforts by GOP lawmakers to cut back on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across education and regulate tuition.
With the exception of a measure to offer fixed tuition rates for undergraduates, Democrats largely opposed the proposals. They accused Republicans of micromanaging course requirements at universities, overstepping on the presidential selection process and pushing for politically motivated education reforms.
Tuition guarantee
Resident undergraduate students could opt in to lock in their freshman-year tuition rate for all four years of their degree under HF2362. Under the program, students would pay an upfront fee that’s no more than 10% of their freshman year tuition.
An earlier version of the proposal made the program mandatory at the regent’s universities. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, said the opt-in component was added after discussions with the Board of Regents.
The opt-in tuition guarantee program would be available to students starting college in 2027 and after.
The bill passed with bipartisan support 87- 4. Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, voted against the bill and said lawmakers should do more to address affordability in other areas.
“We should help them with the rising health care costs,” he said. “We should help them with their skyrocketing car insurance. We should help them with their rent and food. … That being said, I encourage people to vote yes and let me be the only no.”
The bill also codifies tuition growth limits the Board of Regents adopted last year. It would cap undergraduate tuition increases to the three-year rolling average of the Higher Education Price Index.
Another bill passed by the House would freeze tuition rates. Collins said the five-year tuition freeze would preempt “any kind of tuition guarantee.”
“Either way, when one of them will be adopted, we're going to see tuition costs ultimately be drawn down lower over the years,” Collins told reporters earlier this month after the House passed the tuition freeze bill.
American government and history requirements for undergraduates
HF2361, also known as the “Increasing Civic Proficiency in Higher Education Act,” would require undergraduates at the state’s regents universities to take a course in U.S history and another course in American government.
The University of Iowa’s Center for Intellectual Freedom, ISU’s Center for Cyclone Civics and UNI’s Center for Civic Education would designate which courses could fulfill the requirements.
The bill passed 58-33 with Democrats opposing the bill and claiming mandating college courses is not the role of the Legislature.
“If you make one student take an extra semester, pay an extra six months of rent, pay an extra semester of tuition because Taylor Collins wanted them to take a class, that's a huge mistake,” said Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City.
A fiscal note on the bill projects the additional required courses will cost the universities over $2 million in instructional costs and $60,000 in administrative costs in fiscal year 2029.
The bill would also require all three centers to establish ongoing lecture and debate series. The series must “promote civil dialogue” and “debate on the issues most important to the American republic.”
The proposal would direct the Board of Regents to review all undergraduate general education requirements at the state’s three universities by fall 2028. The proposal would also institute similar requirements for ISU’s Center for Cyclone Civics and UNI’s Center for Civic Education as those already in law for UI’s Center for Intellectual Freedom.
Reviewing general education courses with content related to DEI and CRT
The state’s universities would have to identify courses or course requirements with content relating to diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory under another bill passed in the House (HF 2487).
The Board of Regents would review all general education requirements and then, in its discretion, direct institutions on which courses or course requirements to remove.
Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, said the bill was amended to give the board more flexibility.
“This language came as a result of discussions with the universities, and I believe, will address some of the concerns related to the original language being so stringent that it could prevent legitimate courses that are not DEI from being taught,” he said.
The bill also allows the attorney general to investigate violations of laws banning DEI offices and employees at public colleges and state entities. The attorney general could subpoena certain materials, including books, papers and correspondence as part of an investigation.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, said the bill will increase the caseload and could interfere with other responsibilities of the attorney general, including investigating cold cases, reviewing rape cases and working on consumer protection measures.
The bill passed 62-27 and next heads to the Senate.
Altering presidential selection committee criteria
The Board of Regents would be required to use a presidential selection committee when choosing presidents of regents institutions, if a bill passed in the House becomes law (HF2245). The committee would include five voting members from the Board of Regents. It would also include four nonvoting members, including a student at the university, a faculty member, another employee at the institution, and an additional member of the public.
The bill would keep the names of candidates confidential unless all voting members of the presidential committee agree to publicly disclose the name of the candidate.
Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, said the bill “micromanages” who is on a presidential selection committee, which she said should be left up the discretion of the universities.
Collins sponsored the bill and said the recent selection process for the ISU president “saw problematic results,” with two out of four finalists withdrawing before the final round.
“We should no longer roll the dice on the current process. It's time to fix it before any more searches are initiated,” Collins said.
The proposal passed 63-27 and next heads to the Senate.
