Bill Text: IA HF620 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act prohibiting school districts and charter schools from taking disciplinary action against employees, contractors, or students for the use of legal names or for the failure to use personal pronouns in official communications, and providing civil penalties.(Formerly HF 367.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2023-05-04 - Rereferred to Education. H.J. 1030. [HF620 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2023-HF620-Introduced.html
House
File
620
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
620
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
EDUCATION
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
367)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
prohibiting
school
districts
and
charter
schools
from
1
taking
disciplinary
action
against
employees,
contractors,
2
or
students
for
the
use
of
legal
names
or
for
the
failure
3
to
use
personal
pronouns
in
official
communications,
and
4
providing
civil
penalties.
5
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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620
Section
1.
Section
256E.7,
subsection
2,
Code
2023,
is
1
amended
by
adding
the
following
new
paragraph:
2
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
0j.
Be
subject
to
and
comply
with
the
3
requirements
of
section
279.77
relating
to
the
prohibition
on
4
disciplinary
action
for
the
use
of
legal
names
and
for
the
5
failure
to
use
personal
pronouns
in
official
communications
in
6
the
same
manner
as
a
school
district.
7
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
279.77
Prohibition
on
disciplinary
8
action
——
use
of
legal
names
——
failure
to
use
personal
pronouns.
9
1.
The
board
of
directors
of
each
school
district
shall
10
not
take
any
disciplinary
action
against
an
employee
of
the
11
school
district,
a
contractor
hired
by
the
school
district,
12
or
a
student
enrolled
in
the
school
district
for
addressing
13
other
employees,
contractors,
or
students
using
the
employee’s,
14
contractor’s,
or
student’s
legal
name.
15
2.
The
board
of
directors
of
each
school
district
shall
not
16
take
any
disciplinary
action
against
an
employee
of
the
school
17
district,
a
contractor
hired
by
the
school
district,
or
a
18
student
enrolled
in
the
school
district
for
failing
to
disclose
19
or
use
any
personal
pronouns
in
the
greeting
or
signature
block
20
of
any
form
of
official
communication,
including
letters,
21
forms,
notes,
or
electronic
mail.
22
3.
An
employee
whose
employment
is
terminated
in
violation
23
of
this
section
may
enforce
this
section
through
a
civil
action
24
under
section
70A.29,
subsection
3.
25
4.
For
purposes
of
this
section,
“disciplinary
action”
26
includes
termination
of
employment
or
the
contractual
27
relationship,
suspension
from
employment
or
the
contractual
28
relationship,
demotion,
expulsion
from
school,
suspension
from
29
school,
detention,
financial
penalties,
and
written
or
verbal
30
reprimands.
31
EXPLANATION
32
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
33
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
34
This
bill
prohibits
school
districts
and
charter
schools
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620
from
taking
disciplinary
action
against
employees,
contractors,
1
or
students
for
the
use
of
legal
names
or
for
the
failure
to
use
2
personal
pronouns
in
official
communications.
3
The
bill
prohibits
the
board
of
directors
of
school
4
districts
and
the
governing
boards
of
charter
schools
from
5
taking
any
disciplinary
action
against
an
employee,
contractor,
6
or
student
for
addressing
other
employees,
contractors,
or
7
students
using
the
employee’s,
contractor’s,
or
student’s
legal
8
name.
9
The
bill
prohibits
the
board
of
directors
of
school
10
districts
and
the
governing
boards
of
charter
schools
from
11
taking
any
disciplinary
action
against
an
employee,
contractor,
12
or
student
for
failing
to
disclose
or
use
any
personal
pronouns
13
in
the
greeting
or
signature
block
of
any
form
of
official
14
communication.
15
The
bill
allows
an
employee
whose
employment
is
terminated
16
in
violation
of
these
provisions
to
enforce
the
provisions
17
through
a
civil
action
which
allows
the
aggrieved
employee
to
18
receive
reinstatement,
with
or
without
back
pay,
civil
damages
19
in
an
amount
not
to
exceed
three
times
the
aggrieved
employee’s
20
annual
wages
and
benefits,
and
any
other
equitable
relief
the
21
court
deems
appropriate,
including
attorney
fees
and
costs.
22
Injunctive
relief
is
also
available.
23
The
bill
defines
“disciplinary
action”
to
include
24
termination
of
employment
or
the
contractual
relationship,
25
suspension
from
employment
or
the
contractual
relationship,
26
demotion,
expulsion
from
school,
suspension
from
school,
27
detention,
financial
penalties,
and
written
or
verbal
28
reprimands.
29
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