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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 2033 Requires Undergraduate Students at Regents Institutions to Complete American History and Government Courses
Last action · March 19, 2026: Placed on calendar under unfinished business. S.J. 600 .Sponsor: Kerry Gruenhagen
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 2033 requires undergraduate students at Iowa to complete introductory survey courses in American history and American government starting in the 2028-2029 academic year. The bill also mandates that specific university centers establish ongoing lecture and debate series by December 31, 2026, and requires two of those centers to submit annual reports to state leadership.
Incoming undergraduate students enrolled in degree programs exceeding three years at Iowa's public universities must take specific three-credit courses in American history and government to fulfill general education or core curriculum requirements, altering graduation pathways.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Undergraduate students at regents institutions
Undergraduate students must complete mandatory introductory survey courses in American history and American government to fulfill graduation and core curriculum requirements.
State Board of Regents
The board must enforce the course requirements across institutions, conduct a review of all undergraduate general education requirements by December 31, 2026, and receive annual reports from center directors.
Center for Intellectual Freedom
The center must offer specific three-semester credit hour courses in American history and American government, annually designate satisfying courses, and establish an ongoing lecture and debate series.
Key Facts
- Undergraduate students at regents institutions starting enrollment in academic years on or after July 1, 2028, must complete an introductory survey course in American history and an introductory survey course in American government.
- Each required course must be assigned a value of at least three semester hours of credit and must fulfill social sciences or humanities general education requirements.
- Required courses under section 2 shall not be exclusively or primarily devoted to the study of subgroups of Americans or other nationalities.
- The requirements do not apply to students completing degree programs designated as three years or less in duration.
Show all 10 facts
- Transfer students are entitled to equivalent credit for previously completed coursework that is substantially similar.
- By December 31, 2026, the State Board of Regents must review all undergraduate general education requirements and core curricula.
- The Center for Intellectual Freedom, the Center for Cyclone Civics, and the Center for Civic Education must annually designate courses at their respective institutions that satisfy the requirements.
- The Center for Intellectual Freedom must offer at least one three-semester credit hour course in American history and one in American government, effective for academic years starting on or after July 1, 2027.
- By December 31, 2026, each of the three specialized centers must establish an ongoing lecture and debate series promoting civil dialogue.
- The directors of the Center for Cyclone Civics and the Center for Civic Education must submit an annual report to the governor, the general assembly, and the state board of regents by December 31.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which students must take the new American history and government courses?
Do transfer students receive credit for similar classes taken elsewhere?
What new requirements apply to the university centers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
28 actions- Mar 19, 2026SenatePlaced on calendar under unfinished business. S.J. 600 .
- Mar 19, 2026SenatePlaced on calendar under unfinished business. S.J. 600 .
- Mar 16, 2026SenateAttached to HF 2361 . S.J. 574 .
- Mar 16, 2026SenateIntroducedRead first time, attached to SF 2232 . S.J. 574 .
- Mar 16, 2026HouseMessage from House. S.J. 574 .
- Mar 12, 2026HouseImmediate message. H.J. 666 .
Show 22 earlier actions
- Mar 12, 2026HouseFloorPassed House , yeas 58, nays 33. H.J. 664 .
- Mar 12, 2026HouseFloorAmendment H-8011 adopted. H.J. 664 .
- Mar 12, 2026HouseAmendment H-8204 , yeas 27, nays 62, lost. H.J. 663 .
- Mar 11, 2026HouseAmendment H-8204 filed. H.J. 637 .
- Mar 11, 2026Iowa LegislatureFiscal note.
- Mar 3, 2026Iowa LegislatureFiscal note.
- Feb 19, 2026HouseAmendment H-8011 filed. H.J. 364 .
- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 226 .
- Feb 9, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 222 .
- Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 235 .
- Feb 9, 2026Iowa LegislatureCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 2361 .
- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2232 . S.J. 226 .
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommittee vote: Yeas, 7. Nays, 4. Excused, 0. H.J. 220 .
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommittee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 220 .
- Jan 20, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Jan 15, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Jan 15, 2026SenateSubcommittee Meeting: 01/20/2026 12:00PM Senate Lounge.
- Jan 14, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 01/15/2026 12:30PM RM 19.
- Jan 13, 2026HouseSubcommittee: Collins, Holt and Matson. H.J. 72 .
- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Higher Education. H.J. 68 .
- Jan 13, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Gruenhagen, Pike, and Quirmbach. S.J. 67 .
- Jan 12, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 40 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardization of Civic Coursework
The legislation institutes a uniform requirement for introductory survey courses in American history and government across all regents universities, coupled with specific content restrictions.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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