Lang
3/11/26
Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that would prevent local governments from providing civil rights protections to groups not protected under state law.
The bill was signed just one day after it was passed by the legislature.
Democrats say the measure will remove local control and allow for discrimination against transgender Iowans. It comes a year after Iowa became the first state in the nation in 2025 to remove a previously protected class when the measure striking “gender identity” from the state Civil Rights Act was signed into law.
There are currently 14 Iowa cities, alongside the unincorporated areas of Johnson County, that provide local protections against discrimination on the basis of “gender identity.”