Providing that public postsecondary institutions are prohibited from requiring students or employees to wear face masks or social distance off campus and only accredited private institutions that do not require students or employees to wear face masks or social distance off campus can qualify for the Iowa tuition grant program, and including effective date provisions

This bill relates to face mask and social distance requirements imposed by community colleges, accredited private institutions, or regents universities on students and employees who are off campus. The bill directs the state board of regents to prohibit the universities under its control, and directs the board of directors of a community college to prohibit the community college, from requiring a student or employee who is off campus to wear a face mask for the purpose of blocking or reducing respiratory droplets or to social distance by maintaining a physical distance of at least six feet from any other individual to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or any other infectious disease. The bill amends the definition of “accredited private institution” to add to the criteria an institution must meet in order for its students to qualify for an Iowa tuition grant awarded by the college student aid commission. Under the new criterion, only accredited private institutions that do not require a student or employee who is off campus to wear a face mask to cover the nose and mouth for the purpose of blocking or reducing the spread of respiratory droplets or to social distance by maintaining a physical distance of at least six feet from any other individual to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or any other infectious disease can meet the definition. The bill takes effect upon enactment.