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Bills › 91st General Assembly

HF 402Died when the session ended · February 13, 2025

Establishing completion of a course on American history and civil government as a requirement for the completion of a baccalaureate degree program at a public institution of higher education

Sponsored by the House Higher Education Committee

Topics:Higher education

Same legislation: HSB 56, SF 322

Write your legislators about it

Also covers HSB 56 and SF 322.

Official bill pageLobbyist declarationsOne-pager to print

Where it is now

  1. Done: IntroducedJanuary 22, 2025
  2. Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 22, 2025
  3. Done: House committeeFebruary 12, 2025
  4. Stopped: Passes the HouseDied when the General Assembly ended
  5. Next: Senate committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
  6. Next: Passes the Senate
  7. Next: To the Governor
  8. Next: Signed into law

Died when the session ended The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?

What’s in it

This bill requires a public institution of higher education to establish as a requirement for the completion of any baccalaureate degree program that a student complete a survey course in American history and civil government. The requirement begins with the academic year commencing in 2027. The bill provides minimum required subjects that must be taught and documents that students must read as part of the course. The bill defines a public institution of higher education as a regents institution or a community college with respect to any baccalaureate degree program offered by the community college and to any student enrolled in such a program.

Read the full explanation

The bill provides that the course shall be assigned a value of three semester hours of credit and that the course shall fulfill any general education requirement in the social sciences that is a graduation requirement. The bill provides that a student shall not be required to complete the course again if transferring to another public institution of higher education.

From the explanation printed with the bill as introduced, written by the Legislative Services Agency. Amendments adopted later aren’t reflected. Full bill text

House subcommittee

Named January 22, 2025 (as HSB 56). On February 5, 2025 it recommended passage.

Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part

Iowa Code it changes

Creates§261K.1§261K.2§261K.3§261K.4§261K.5

Read from the bill as introduced. Each links to every bill touching that chapter of the Iowa Code. How the Code works

Lobbying

7 for · 1 against · 6 undecided · Who →

Family tree

Where this legislation came from and where it went: earlier tries, the versions it moved through this Assembly, and later bills built on it.

Study bill

HSB 56Renumbered

91st General Assembly

HF 402Cleared committeefrom HSB 56SF 322Cleared committeeSenate companion

Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title; check the text to be sure it’s the same idea.