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91st General Assembly · Funnel one-pager · Monday, November 9, 2026

SF 236: Relating to certain sincerely held religious or moral beliefs of child foster care providers and prospective adoptive parents

Became SF 473 · Its progress continues under the new number.

What it does

This bill relates to certain sincerely held religious or moral beliefs (beliefs) of child foster care providers and prospective adoptive parents. The bill prohibits the department of health and human services (HHS) from requiring an individual licensee (foster parent) to affirm, accept, or support a policy related to sexual orientation (orientation) or gender identity (identity) that conflicts with the foster parent’s beliefs, or precluding a person from providing child foster care as a foster parent based, in whole or in part, on the person’s beliefs related to orientation or identity, including but not limited to the foster parent’s intent to guide, instruct, or raise a child in a manner consistent with the foster parent’s beliefs.

Sponsors

Sen. Sandy Salmon (R)

Cost

No fiscal note

Senate subcommittee · named February 11, 2025

  • Sen. Sandy Salmon (R) · sandy.salmon@legis.iowa.gov
  • Sen. Mike Pike (R) · mike.pike@legis.iowa.gov
  • Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D) · sarah.trone.garriott@legis.iowa.gov

Lobbying · 8 for, 16 against

For: 1st Amendment Partnership; ADF Action; Iowa Baptists For Biblical Values; Iowa Catholic Conference; Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition; Lutheran Family Service; The Family Leader; The Family Leader Foundation

Against: Bitches Get Stuff Done; Common Good Iowa; Episcopal Diocese of Iowa; Four Oaks; Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund; Iowa ACEs 360; Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers; Iowa Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics; Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church; Iowa Integrated Health Planning and Advisory Council; Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association; Iowa Safe Schools; and 4 more

In plain words

  1. February 10, 2025Filed in the Senate and sent to the Health and Human Services committee
  2. February 11, 2025Senate subcommittee named: Salmon, Pike and Trone Garriott
  3. February 24, 2025Subcommittee recommended passing it
  4. February 27, 2025Approved by the Senate committee, and given a new number: SF 473

From public records at legis.iowa.gov, compiled by Funnel (iowafunnel.com), an independent, nonpartisan site. Current as of Monday, November 9, 2026. https://iowafunnel.com/bills/91/SF236