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(Des Moines, IA) -- A new law effectively bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state entities and public universities across Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 856 on Tuesday, prohibiting public institutions from using government funds to support any DEI office or employee.
The bill defines DEI initiatives as “any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of the employees or student body with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral admissions and hiring in accordance with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.”
The law also blocks the promotion of topics such as “implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, anti-racism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts” within public institutions.
Iowa’s three public universities already had restrictions on DEI initiatives, put in place in 2024. This new law now extends those bans to both state entities and community colleges.
The law goes into effect on July 1st.