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Bill > HF331
IA HF331
IA HF331A bill for an act implementing requirements related to organizations that sponsor or administer extracurricular interscholastic athletics, including the creation of a conference realignment committee.(See HF 783.)
summary
Introduced
02/12/2025
02/12/2025
In Committee
02/12/2025
02/12/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
91st General Assembly
Bill Summary
This bill implements requirements related to organizations that sponsor or administer extracurricular interscholastic athletics, including the creation of a conference realignment committee. The bill defines “extracurricular interscholastic athletics” as a contest or competition for sports between different school districts or accredited nonpublic schools and outside the regular scope of a school district’s or accredited nonpublic school’s curriculum. Additionally, the bill defines “organization” as the Iowa high school athletics association and the Iowa girls high school athletic union, or their successor organizations. The bill provides that on or after July 1, 2025, a school district shall not expend any moneys, and an accredited nonpublic school shall not expend any moneys originating from the state, to pay dues or membership fees to an organization, and the school district or accredited nonpublic school shall not be a member of, participate in activities associated with, or receive services from an organization unless the organization establishes, in combination with each other organization, a committee known as the conference realignment committee that is tasked with taking action to bring about reasonable conference affiliation and relationship for member high schools pursuant to requests submitted by member high schools; develops and implements a policy that prohibits the organization from changing the extracurricular interscholastic athletics conferences unless the conference realignment committee ordered the organization to make such change; requires the organization to develop an expedited review and implementation process for certain specified orders received by the committee; requires member schools to offer at least one extracurricular interscholastic athletics activity for boys and at least one extracurricular interscholastic athletics activity for girls in all seasons; prohibits member schools that withdraw from an extracurricular interscholastic athletics conference, without approval, from competing in any conference for two years and from competing in a tournament sponsored by an organization in the same activity for two years. The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules to administer the bill’s provisions.
AI Summary
This bill introduces new requirements for organizations that manage high school athletics in Iowa, focusing on creating a conference realignment committee to oversee and approve changes to athletic conferences. The bill establishes that starting July 1, 2025, school districts and nonpublic schools can only be members of athletic organizations (specifically the Iowa high school athletic association and Iowa girls high school athletic union) if those organizations establish an 18-member committee composed of nine superintendents and nine activities directors from different regions of the state. This committee will have the power to review and approve conference realignment requests, considering factors like school enrollment, travel distances, program comparability, and traditional rivalries. The bill mandates that schools must offer at least one extracurricular athletic activity for both boys and girls in each season, and imposes penalties on schools that withdraw from conferences without approval, including a two-year ban from competing in conferences and tournaments in the same sport. The conference realignment committee will have the authority to review conference changes at least every two years, provide recommendations, and allow schools to appeal decisions to the state education director. The state board of education is tasked with developing rules to implement these new requirements, with the overall goal of creating more reasonable and student-beneficial athletic conference arrangements.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
Withdrawn. H.J. 660. (on 03/14/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF331 |
| BillText | https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/attachments/HF331.html |
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