Requiring students to pass the United States citizenship and immigration services naturalization civics test as a condition of high school graduation and high school equivalency diplomas

Where it is now

1. ✓
   Done: IntroducedJanuary 22, 2025
2. ✓
   Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 22, 2025
3. ✓
   Done: Senate committeeFebruary 18, 2025
4. ✓
   Done: Passes the SenateApril 14, 202538–7
5. –
   Skipped: House committeeSkipped
6. ✓
   Done: Passes the HouseApril 17, 202560–33
7. ✓
   Done: To the GovernorMay 19, 2025
8. ✓
   Done: Signed into lawMay 27, 2025

Signed into law What’s a funnel?

Amendments · 8

2 adopted · 3 failed. Newest first.

• H-1241 · filed April 16, 2025 by

  AI summary This amendment adds a rule that allows students to complete a civics service project instead of passing the required civics test.
  Failed
  28–64
  April 17, 2025
• H-1239Strike everything · filed April 16, 2025 by

  AI summary This amendment replaces the entire bill. Instead of requiring a civics test for graduation, it requests that a committee be formed to plan an Iowa education summit to be held in 2026.
  Ruled not germane
  April 17, 2025
• H-1231Strike everything · filed April 15, 2025 by

  AI summary This amendment replaces the entire bill and changes the requirement from passing a specific citizenship test to graduation to including specific United States government instruction and assessments in social studies classes. It requires students to study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and civics, and it mandates that schools use an assessment based on the most recent version of the citizenship test.
  Withdrawn
  April 17, 2025
• H-1229Strike everything · filed April 15, 2025 by

  AI summary This amendment replaces the entire bill and requires students in grades nine through twelve to pass a multiple-choice civics test to graduate. It requires the department of education to create and update the test based on the most recent U.S. citizenship exam and mandates that a passing score requires answering at least 60 percent of the questions correctly. The amendment also requires a study on the relationship between graduation rates and civics test scores to be reported to the general assembly by 2029.

  Amends this HF 165 to CONFORM to SF 369
  Adopted
  April 17, 2025
• H-1228 · filed April 15, 2025 by

  AI summary This amendment adds a requirement that members of the Iowa General Assembly take the same civics test that students must pass to graduate. It also requires the secretary of the senate and the clerk of the house to publish the name of the member who answered the most questions correctly and their score.
  Failed
  30–62
  April 17, 2025
• S-3099Strike everything · filed April 14, 2025 by Sen. Herman C. Quirmbach (D)

  AI summary This amendment replaces the entire bill and changes the requirement from passing a specific citizenship test to graduation to including specific United States government and history instruction in social studies classes. It requires students to be assessed on their knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights using the most recent version of the citizenship civics test.
  Failed
  April 14, 2025
• S-3096 · filed April 14, 2025 by Sen. Jesse Green (R)

  AI summary This amendment adds innovation zone schools to the list of schools that must use the multiple-choice civics test and requires the test to be updated and distributed after every presidential election. It also requires a study on the relationship between graduation rates and civics test scores to be reported to the general assembly by June 30, 2029. Finally, it specifies that the new requirements will begin with the school year starting July 1, 2026.
  Adopted
  April 14, 2025
• H-1007Strike everything · filed February 12, 2025 by

  Replaces the whole bill with new text.
  Withdrawn
  April 17, 2025