Senate File 382 - Introduced SENATE FILE 382 BY DONAHUE A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by prohibiting the use 1 of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions 2 of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist 3 schools and institutions of higher education in adopting 4 alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the 5 Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh
S.F. 382 Section 1. Section 256.183, subsection 1, unnumbered 1 paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows: 2 Accredited private institution means an institution of 3 higher learning located in Iowa which is operated privately 4 and not controlled or administered by any state agency or 5 any subdivision of the state and which meets the criteria in 6 paragraphs a and b and all of the criteria in paragraphs d 7 through j k , except that institutions defined in paragraph 8 c of this subsection are exempt from the requirements of 9 paragraphs a and b : 10 Sec. 2. Section 256.183, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended 11 by adding the following new paragraph: 12 NEW PARAGRAPH . k. Complies with the requirements of section 13 261K.1 related to the use of discriminatory mascots in the same 14 manner as a community college. 15 Sec. 3. Section 256.183, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended 16 to read as follows: 17 3. Eligible institution means an institution of higher 18 learning located in Iowa which is operated privately and 19 not controlled or administered by any state agency or any 20 subdivision of the state, which is not exempt from taxation 21 under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and which 22 meets all of the criteria in subsection 1 , paragraphs d 23 through j k , and is a school of barbering and cosmetology 24 arts and sciences licensed under chapter 157 and is accredited 25 by a national accrediting agency recognized by the United 26 States department of education. For the fiscal year beginning 27 July 1, 2017, such a school of barbering and cosmetology arts 28 and sciences shall provide a matching aggregate amount of 29 institutional financial aid equal to at least seventy-five 30 percent of the amount received by the institutions students 31 for Iowa tuition grant assistance under section 256.191 . For 32 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018, the school of barbering 33 and cosmetology arts and sciences shall provide a matching 34 aggregate amount of institutional financial aid equal to at 35 -1- LSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh 1/ 6
S.F. 382 least eighty-five percent of the amount received in that fiscal 1 year. Commencing with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, 2 and each succeeding fiscal year, the matching aggregate amount 3 of institutional financial aid shall be at least equal to the 4 match provided by eligible institutions under section 261.9, 5 subsection 3 , paragraph a , Code 2023. 6 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 261K.1 Mascots, team names, and logos 7 prohibitions. 8 1. As used in this section: 9 a. Disability means the same as defined in the federal 10 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et 11 seq. 12 b. Discriminatory mascot means any name, person, animal, 13 object, symbol, or image that a public educational institution 14 uses to represent the public educational institution and that 15 references or is associated with a disability. 16 c. Public educational institution means all of the 17 following: 18 (1) A school district organized pursuant to chapter 274. 19 (2) A nonpublic school accredited by the department of 20 education as provided in section 256.11. 21 (3) A charter school established pursuant to chapter 256E. 22 (4) A charter school or innovation zone school established 23 pursuant to chapter 256F. 24 (5) An institution of higher education under the control of 25 the state board of regents. 26 (6) A community college established under chapter 260C. 27 2. a. A public educational institution shall not do any of 28 the following on or after the effective date of this Act: 29 (1) Adopt or continue the use of a discriminatory mascot. 30 (2) Purchase any new goods that use or contain a 31 discriminatory mascot. 32 b. If, as of the effective date of this Act, a public 33 educational institution uses a discriminatory mascot to 34 represent the public educational institution, the public 35 -2- LSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh 2/ 6
S.F. 382 educational institution shall adopt a new name, person, animal, 1 object, symbol, or image, as applicable, that complies with 2 this section. 3 3. Within one year after the effective date of this Act, 4 each public educational institution shall conduct a review of 5 each name, person, animal, object, symbol, or image that the 6 public educational institution uses to represent the public 7 educational institution to ensure that the name, person, 8 animal, object, symbol, or image is not a discriminatory 9 mascot. 10 4. Notwithstanding subsection 2, a public educational 11 institution may continue to use certain existing materials 12 and uniforms that use a discriminatory mascot until September 13 1, 2027, if the public educational institution satisfies 14 transition requirements established by the department of 15 education or state board of regents, as applicable, in rules 16 adopted pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. 17 5. a. (1) The department of education shall develop and 18 administer a department of education mascot grant program 19 to provide grants to school districts, nonpublic schools 20 accredited by the department of education, charter schools, 21 innovation zone schools, community colleges, accredited private 22 institutions, as defined in section 256.183, and eligible 23 institutions, as defined in section 256.183, to offset the 24 costs associated with complying with this section, including 25 costs related to purchasing new signage, uniforms, and 26 educational materials. 27 (2) The state board of education shall adopt rules pursuant 28 to chapter 17A to administer this paragraph, including 29 rules relating to grant application materials, eligibility 30 requirements, and award criteria. 31 b. A department of education mascot grant program fund is 32 created in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered 33 by the department of education and shall consist of moneys 34 appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys received 35 -3- LSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh 3/ 6
S.F. 382 by the department of education for deposit in the fund. The 1 moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department of 2 education for purposes of the department of education mascot 3 grant program. For the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2025, 4 and each succeeding fiscal year, there is appropriated from the 5 general fund of the state to the department of education to be 6 credited to the fund the amount necessary to pay all grants 7 approved under the department of education mascot grant program 8 for that fiscal year. 9 c. This subsection is repealed September 1, 2027. 10 6. a. (1) The state board of regents shall develop and 11 administer a state board of regents mascot grant program to 12 provide grants to institutions of higher education under the 13 control of the state board of regents to offset the costs 14 associated with complying with this section, including costs 15 related to purchasing new signage, uniforms, and educational 16 materials. 17 (2) The state board of regents shall adopt rules pursuant 18 to chapter 17A to administer this paragraph, including 19 rules relating to grant application materials, eligibility 20 requirements, and award criteria. 21 b. A state board of regents mascot grant program fund is 22 created in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered 23 by the state board of regents and shall consist of moneys 24 appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys received 25 by the state board of regents for deposit in the fund. The 26 moneys in the fund are appropriated to the state board of 27 regents for purposes of the state board of regents mascot grant 28 program. For the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2025, and each 29 succeeding fiscal year, there is appropriated from the general 30 fund of the state to the state board of regents to be credited 31 to the fund the amount necessary to pay all grants approved 32 under the state board of regents mascot grant program for that 33 fiscal year. 34 c. This subsection is repealed September 1, 2027. 35 -4- LSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh 4/ 6
S.F. 382 EXPLANATION 1 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 This bill relates to education, including by prohibiting the 4 use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of 5 higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools 6 and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative 7 mascots, and modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition 8 grants program. 9 The bill defines disability by reference to the federal 10 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The bill defines 11 discriminatory mascot as any name, person, animal, object, 12 symbol, or image that a public educational institution uses 13 to represent the public educational institution and that 14 references or is associated with a disability. The bill 15 also defines public educational institution to mean school 16 districts, nonpublic schools accredited by the department 17 of education, charter schools, innovation zone schools, 18 institutions of higher education under the control of the state 19 board of regents, and community colleges. 20 The bill prohibits public educational institutions from 21 adopting or continuing the use of a discriminatory mascot, 22 or from purchasing any new goods that use or contain a 23 discriminatory mascot, on or after the effective date of the 24 bill. The bill requires public educational institutions that 25 use a discriminatory mascot as of the effective date of the 26 bill to adopt a new name, person, animal, object, symbol, or 27 image, as applicable, that complies with the bills provisions. 28 The bill requires public educational institutions to, within 29 one year after the effective date of the bill, conduct a 30 review of each name, person, animal, object, symbol, or image 31 that the public educational institution uses to represent the 32 public educational institution to ensure that the name, person, 33 animal, object, symbol, or image is not a discriminatory 34 mascot. 35 -5- LSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh 5/ 6
S.F. 382 The bill allows a public educational institution to continue 1 to use certain existing materials and uniforms that use a 2 discriminatory mascot until September 1, 2027, if the public 3 educational institution satisfies transition requirements 4 established by the department of education or state board of 5 regents, as applicable, by rule. 6 The bill requires the department of education to develop 7 and administer a department of education mascot grant 8 program to provide grants to school districts, accredited 9 nonpublic schools, charter schools, innovation zone schools, 10 and community colleges to offset the costs associated with 11 complying with the bills provisions, including costs related 12 to purchasing new signage, uniforms, and educational materials. 13 The bill also requires the state board of regents to adopt a 14 similar program, known as the state board of regents mascot 15 grant program, to provide grants to institutions of higher 16 education under the control of the state board of regents for 17 similar purposes. These provisions are repealed September 1, 18 2027. 19 The bill establishes both a department of education mascot 20 grant program fund and a state board of regents mascot grant 21 program fund in the state treasury and appropriates from the 22 general fund of the state to each fund, for the fiscal year 23 commencing July 1, 2025, and each succeeding fiscal year, an 24 amount necessary to pay all grants approved under the grant 25 programs for that fiscal year. These provisions are repealed 26 September 1, 2027. 27 The bill requires accredited private institutions and 28 eligible institutions, as each is defined in Code section 29 256.183 (Iowa tuition grants program), as a condition of 30 participation in the Iowa tuition grants program, to comply 31 with the bills provisions in the same manner as a community 32 college. The bill allows accredited private institutions and 33 eligible institutions to apply for and receive grants under the 34 department of education mascot grant program. 35 -6- LSB 2564XS (2) 91 jda/jh 6/ 6