Prohibiting private institutions of higher education that participate in the Iowa tuition grant program from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices

This bill prohibits a private institution of higher education, as defined in the bill, from establishing, sustaining, supporting, or staffing a diversity, equity, and inclusion office, as defined in the bill. The prohibition does not apply if otherwise provided by federal or state law or accreditation standards. The bill specifies activities that the bill shall not be construed to prohibit. The bill authorizes a person to report a private institution of higher education’s potential violation of the requirements of the bill to the attorney general, who shall provide notice of such report to the department of education and the institution within days. No later than days after receiving such notice, the institution is required to take one of two actions. The institution shall either correct the violation and provide documentation of the correction to the attorney general and the department or provide documentation to the attorney general and the department demonstrating that the action of the institution upon which the report was based was not a violation. If within the 30-day period the institution has not corrected the violation or provided documentation that demonstrates to the satisfaction of the attorney general that a violation did not occur, the institution shall be ineligible to participate in the Iowa tuition grant program as of the next academic year beginning thereafter. If either action is carried out by the institution by October of an academic year, eligibility shall be restored as of the next academic year beginning after such action is carried out.