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(Des Moines, IA) -- A bill introduced today in the Iowa Legislature by Governor Kim Reynolds could change how civil rights protections are applied in the state.
House Study Bill 664 would prevent local governments from expanding civil rights protections beyond what is covered under state law.
Last year, Iowa removed gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965, becoming the first state in the nation to do so. In response, several cities passed their own measures to continue offering gender‑identity discrimination protections at the local level. The governor’s new bill would block those local protections.
The legislation now moves to a House Judiciary subcommittee.