IowaIowa rules protect religious beliefs in foster care and adoption
Iowa’s signed law bars certain limits on foster caregivers and adoptive parents based on their beliefs, and protects some religious service providers, with exceptions.
What it does
The department must not require individual foster caregivers or approved relatives to support policies that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs about sexual orientation or gender identity, or reject them for those beliefs.
The department must not require prospective adoptive parents to support policies that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs about sexual orientation or gender identity, or reject them for those beliefs.
The department must make rules so religious organizations with foster care or adoption service agreements are not required to provide those services in ways that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs, unless federal law or rules say otherwise.
Argument forPeople and religious groups could serve children without being required to act against their sincerely held beliefs.
Argument againstChildren’s placement needs could be harder to meet if a caregiver’s or provider’s beliefs differ from those of the child or family.
More detail
The department must not require or disqualify foster caregivers because of certain beliefs. This applies to individual foster caregivers and approved relatives caring for children, including people seeking approval. The department may still compare a caregiver’s beliefs with the child’s and family’s beliefs when choosing the placement that best serves the child. The signed text adds this rule to the 2026 Code; it gives no separate start date.
The department must not require or disqualify prospective adoptive parents because of certain beliefs. This applies to people being considered as adoptive parents through services provided by or through the department. The department may still compare the child’s and family’s beliefs with a prospective parent’s when choosing the placement that best serves the child. The signed text amends the adoption law in the 2025 Code; it gives no separate start date.
The department must make rules protecting certain religious organizations from being required to provide services against their beliefs. This applies to religious organizations with a department or department-agent agreement to provide foster care or adoption services. The protection applies unless federal law or rules provide otherwise. The department must still decide what serves the child’s best interests. The department must adopt rules under Iowa’s administrative rulemaking process; the text gives no deadline.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 2Signed by Governor Kim Reynolds.Became Law
- May 5Reported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor.To Governor
- Apr 21Message from Senate.
- Vote recorded Shall the bill pass? Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 21Immediate message.
- Apr 21Passed Senate, yeas 28, nays 16.Major
- Apr 21Senate concurred with S-5200.
- Apr 21Message from House, with amendment S-5200.
- Apr 20Immediate message.
- Vote recorded Shall the bill pass? Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Shall the rules be suspended to consider amendment H-8320? Result: fail.Lower
- Apr 20Passed House, yeas 58, nays 34.Passed 2nd Chamber
- Apr 20Amendment H-8353 adopted.Major
- Apr 20Motion to suspend rules failed.
- Apr 20Motion to suspend rules for immediate consideration of amendment H-8320, yeas 39, nays 53.
- Apr 20Point of order raised on amendment H-8320, ruled not germane.
- Apr 20Amendment H-8370 withdrawn.
- Apr 15Amendment H-8370 filed.Minor
- Apr 13Amendment H-8353 filed.Minor
- Apr 7Amendment H-8320 filed.Minor
- Mar 26Placed on calendar under unfinished business.
- Mar 18Placed on calendar.
- Mar 18Committee vote: Yeas, 14. Nays, 6. Excused, 1.
- Mar 18Committee report, recommending passage.Minor
- Mar 5Subcommittee recommends passage.Minor
- Mar 3Subcommittee Meeting: 03/05/2026 8:15AM House Lounge.
- Mar 3Subcommittee: Williams, Dunwell and Wessel-Kroeschell.
- 2025
- May 15Rereferred to Judiciary.
- Apr 10Placed on calendar under unfinished business.
- Apr 2Placed on calendar.
- Apr 2Committee vote: Yeas, 14. Nays, 6. Excused, 1.
- Apr 2Committee report, recommending passage.Minor
- Apr 2Subcommittee recommends passage.Minor
- Apr 1Subcommittee Meeting: 04/02/2025 7:30AM RM 102.
- Mar 31Subcommittee reassigned: Williams, Holt and Wessel-Kroeschell.
- Mar 28Subcommittee: Wheeler, Holt and Wessel-Kroeschell.
- Mar 25Read first time, referred to Judiciary.Minor
- Vote recorded Shall the bill pass? Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 25Message from Senate.
- Mar 25Immediate message.
- Mar 25Passed Senate, yeas 35, nays 14.Passed 1st Chamber
- Mar 25Amendment S-3047 filed, adopted.Major
- Feb 27Committee report, approving bill.Minor
- Feb 27Introduced, placed on calendar.Introduced
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