Democrats say it will hurt all Iowans, while Republicans blamed DEI for dividing the nation.
DES MOINES, Iowa — House Republicans have advanced multiple bills that target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at Iowa’s colleges and universities.
Democrats say this will hurt all Iowans, while Republicans blamed DEI for dividing the nation.
On Wednesday, the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus held a press conference to address the impact of the House’s advancing bills concerning DEI.
“This isn’t about feelings,” explained Rep. Rob Johnson (D-Polk). “This is about policy that impacts every single one of us in this state. It will impact us economically. It will impact us culturally. Who wants to come to a state that says, diversity isn’t welcome. Tell me how much sense does that make?”
House File 269 passed along party lines, and led Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines (D-Polk) on Wednesday to say, “[These bills] will throw us back from progress that we have made as a country, as a state, in the last 60 years.”
HF 269, which passed after tense debate Tuesday, would force public universities to not require its students to enroll in a DEI course or in critical race theory-related content to complete degree requirements, unless a student’s course of study is primarily focused on racial, ethnic or gender studies.
Rep. Steven Holt (R-Crawford) said Tuesday: “I would agree with a comment that was made on the floor that diversity enriches our lives that is 100% true. But not when it is used to divide us. Not when it is used to divide us, which is exactly what DEI programs do.”
Holt added HF 269 is “one of the most misrepresented bills” by “the opposition” this legislative session, and that in his opinion, “DEI at its core is racist, which is one of the reasons we are becoming so divided as a nation.”
Tuesday’s debate featured Democratic representatives offering most of the debate, with a couple also cross-examining Holt on his perception of what the bills would do.
Republicans claimed members of the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus had not been reaching out to them for conversation on these topics, but the Democrats said that was not correct, and after Tuesday’s debate, say Republicans still haven’t reached out to them.
“I feel like we were thrown under the bus,” Rep. Jerome Amos Jr. (D-Black Hawk) said. “We are not reaching out as much as we should, but the other side is not reaching out to us. And I firmly believe as a body we have to start communicating with each other.”
The caucus ended the Wednesday morning news conference with a call to action, asking everyone to reach out to both their Democratic and Republican legislators to express their opinions on this topic. Rep. Johnson called on everyone “to get involved with an organization” to ensure all Iowans are registered to vote, because you can “put people in seats… that represent you and represent your community.”
Republicans advanced another bill Tuesday that would ban private colleges from establishing or funding DEI offices.
If the state’s attorney general’s office found schools were not in compliance, scholarship money from the Iowa Tuition Grant program would not be offered to its students.
That bill, House File 856, heads to the Senate for its vote.
