House File 222 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 222 BY WHEELER A BILL FOR An Act providing for the reduction of certain funding and 1 budgets for public schools, community colleges, and regents 2 institutions following the use of specified curriculum and 3 including effective date and applicability provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2028YH (3) 89 md/jh

H.F. 222 Section 1. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. 1 1. The general assembly finds that recently developed 2 United States history curriculum derived from a project by the 3 New York Times, known as the “1619 Project”, attempts to deny 4 or obfuscate the fundamental principles upon which the United 5 States was founded. 6 2. The general assembly has a strong interest in promoting 7 an accurate account of this nation’s history through public 8 schools and forming young people into knowledgeable and 9 patriotic citizens. 10 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, Code 2021, is amended by adding the 11 following new subsection: 12 NEW SUBSECTION . 5A. A school shall not utilize any United 13 States history curriculum that in whole or in part is derived 14 from a project by the New York Times, known as the “1619 15 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum. 16 Sec. 3. Section 257.7, Code 2021, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsection: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 3. Budget reductions for curriculum 19 violations. The amount of a school district’s budget 20 otherwise determined under subsection 1 shall be reduced by 21 one one-hundred-eightieth for each day of the previous budget 22 year for which the school district used school curriculum in 23 violation of section 256.11, subsection 5A. 24 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 257.17A Aid reduction for curriculum 25 violations. 26 1. State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for a 27 fiscal year shall be reduced by one one-hundred-eightieth for 28 each day of that fiscal year for which the school district used 29 school curriculum in violation of section 256.11, subsection 30 5A, during the prior school year. 31 2. The department of management shall prorate the reduction 32 made pursuant to this section to account for a school district 33 that is approved to maintain a year-round school calendar under 34 section 279.10, subsection 2. 35 -1- LSB 2028YH (3) 89 md/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 222 Sec. 5. Section 260C.17, subsection 1, Code 2021, is amended 1 to read as follows: 2 1. The board of directors of each merged area shall prepare 3 an annual budget designating the proposed expenditures for 4 operation of the community college. The board shall further 5 designate the amounts which are to be raised by local taxation 6 and the amounts which are to be raised by other sources of 7 revenue for the operation. The budget of each merged area 8 shall be submitted to the state board no later than May 1 9 preceding the next fiscal year for approval. The state board 10 shall review the proposed budget and shall, prior to June 1, 11 either grant its approval or return the budget without approval 12 with the comments of the state board attached to it. Any 13 unapproved budget shall be resubmitted to the state board for 14 final approval. If the merged area has utilized any United 15 States history curriculum during the previous fiscal year that 16 in whole or in part is derived from a project by the New York 17 Times, known as the “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed 18 curriculum, the state board shall reduce the merged area’s 19 final total budget by an amount proportionate to the number 20 of days during that fiscal year that the curriculum was used. 21 Upon approval of the budget by the state board, the board of 22 directors shall certify the amount to the respective county 23 auditors and the boards of supervisors annually shall levy a 24 tax of twenty and one-fourth cents per thousand dollars of 25 assessed value on taxable property in a merged area for the 26 operation of a community college. Taxes collected pursuant 27 to the levy shall be paid by the respective county treasurers 28 to the treasurer of the merged area as provided in section 29 331.552, subsection 29 . 30 Sec. 6. Section 262.28, Code 2021, is amended to read as 31 follows: 32 262.28 Appropriations —— monthly installments. 33 1. All appropriations made payable annually to each of the 34 institutions under the control of the board of regents shall be 35 -2- LSB 2028YH (3) 89 md/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 222 paid in twelve equal monthly installments on the last day of 1 each month on order of said board. 2 2. If an institution under the control of the board of 3 regents has utilized any United States history curriculum 4 during the previous fiscal year that in whole or in part is 5 derived from a project by the New York Times, known as the 6 “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum, the 7 monthly appropriations paid to the institution shall be reduced 8 by an amount proportionate to the number of days during that 9 fiscal year that the curriculum was used. 10 Sec. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 11 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 12 Sec. 8. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to budgets, state 13 aid payments, and appropriations for fiscal years beginning on 14 or after July 1, 2021. 15 EXPLANATION 16 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 17 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 18 This bill includes findings of the general assembly that 19 the recently developed United States history curriculum 20 derived from a project by the New York Times, known as the 21 “1619 Project”, attempts to deny or obfuscate the fundamental 22 principles upon which the United States was founded and that 23 the general assembly has a strong interest in promoting an 24 accurate account of this nation’s history through public 25 schools and forming young people into knowledgeable and 26 patriotic citizens. 27 The bill amends provisions governing the educational program 28 established by the state board of education to prohibit a 29 school from utilizing any United States history curriculum that 30 in whole or in part is derived from a project by the New York 31 Times, known as the “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed 32 curriculum. The bill requires reductions to the authorized 33 budget of and state aid payments to a school district that 34 violates the prohibition on the use of prohibited curriculum. 35 -3- LSB 2028YH (3) 89 md/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 222 The bill also provides that if a merged area (community 1 college) has utilized any United States history curriculum 2 during the previous fiscal year that in whole or in part is 3 derived from a project by the New York Times, known as the 4 “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum, the 5 state board shall reduce the merged area’s final total budget 6 by an amount proportionate to the number of days during that 7 fiscal year that the curriculum was used. 8 Under the bill, if an institution under the control of 9 the board of regents has utilized any United States history 10 curriculum during the previous fiscal year that in whole or in 11 part is derived from a project by the New York Times, known as 12 the “1619 Project”, or any similarly developed curriculum, the 13 monthly appropriations paid to the institution shall be reduced 14 by an amount proportionate to the number of days during that 15 fiscal year that the curriculum was used. 16 The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to budgets, 17 state aid payments, and appropriations for fiscal years 18 beginning on or after July 1, 2021. 19 -4- LSB 2028YH (3) 89 md/jh 4/ 4