DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Kim Reynolds signed more than 150 new bills into law this past legislative session. Many of those laws go into effect on July 1.
From mandating in-person caucus participation to restricting classroom instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation, here are just a few of the new laws going into effect that might affect Iowans' day-to-day lives.
In-person caucuses
Under HF 716, in-person participation is required at all precinct caucuses.
If you've been participating in the Iowa Caucus for years, this won't be a big change. However, it does throw a wrench into Iowa Democrats' plans.
Previously, Iowa Democrats proposed a caucus format that allowed for a vote-by-mail caucus process. The new law makes that plan illegal.
Youth employment
Known as the "child labor" bill by its opponents, SF 542 enables Iowa teenagers to work a wider variety of jobs and for longer hours.
As of July 1, 16 and 17-year-olds will have the ability to serve alcohol in restaurants. They will also be able to work in areas once deemed unsafe for kids, such as manufacturing, as long as it was in a work-based learning program.
Furthermore, the law lets Iowans younger than 16 work up to six hours a day while school is in session, up from the previous four hours a day.
Parental rights in schools
Classroom instruction may look a little different when SF 496 goes into effect. The bill bans discussions of gender identity and sexuality with students through grade 6 and requires all books depicting sex acts be removed from school libraries.
Furthermore, the bill will require school administrators to notify parents if students ask to change their pronouns or names.
LGBTQ advocates have slammed the law, saying that the restrictions will ultimately hurt kids.
Updated school ID cards
HF 602 requires any public school that issues ID cards to students grades 7-12 to include information relating to suicide prevention.
The law stipulates that the ID cards must include the crisis hotline telephone and text numbers, as well as the internet address for Your Life Iowa or the Your Life Iowa successor program.
However, if you don't see this information on your child's ID card, that doesn't mean a school is breaking the law: the law also states that if schools have a supply of unused ID cards, they can use up that supply prior to complying with this law.