Legislative Highlights from 2025

Advocacy group Protect My Innocence sees legislative progress in safeguarding Iowa’s youth— The 2025 Iowa legislative session marked a pivotal year for those advocating for children’s innocence. Protect My Innocence of Pella ignited and supported several bills aimed at reinforcing community values and safeguarding minors from inappropriate exposure and obscene materials. Bills regarding the protection against obscene materials, public indecency, distribution of obscene content, and online pornography have garnered hours of discussion this past session—many had bi-partisan support in the House and Senate. While a couple of the bills stalled out in the Senate after being passed by the House, we plan to bring them to the forefront again next session.

Legislative Highlight House File 583 – Redefining Civil Rights Protections Signed by Governor Reynolds--HF 583 removes gender identity as a protected class from Iowa’s civil rights code. The legislation also restores biologically-based definitions of sex and clarifies that birth certificates must reflect sex assigned at birth. Supporters agree this law strengthens women’s and minors’ rights to privacy in restrooms, locker rooms, and sports. Incidents at public facilities in Pella, Forest City, and other communities in Iowa prompted growing concern about how the existing code hindered local authorities from responding to public indecency complaints. Public concern in Pella intensified after a 2021 incident at the city pool where a teenager from Pella and individuals from Des Moines exposed themselves in ways that made children, adults, and the pool staff uncomfortable. City officials cited legal limitations tied to gender identity protections leaving many residents feeling frustrated and unheard. The incident resulted in multiple staff resignations and the loss of pool attendees. "Many Iowans feel that the current law has made it difficult to enforce common-sense policies," said a spokesperson for Protect My Innocence. "This legislation ensures that everyone’s rights, particularly those of women and children, are respected." The argument that removing gender identity as a protected class will cause discrimination does not hold up to scrutiny. The federal civil rights code does not include gender identity. The most transgender-friendly president in history - President Biden – did not see deem it necessary to add this protection. Twenty-eight other states do not have Gender Identity as a protected class, including three states with the highest population of transgender individuals: Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. Additional Child Protection Legislation that received by-partisan support:

HF 306 – Increasing Penalties for Obscene Material Distribution Signed by Governor Reynolds—This bill seeks to create a legal framework that deters Iowans from providing obscene material to minors, protecting their innocence, and preventing the sexualization of our youth. It also increases criminal penalties for repeatedly providing obscene material to minors. A third offense will now be classified as a felony.

HF 826 – Regulating AI-Generated Obscene Content Involving Minors Although this bill passed the House, it did not advance in the Senate. It aimed to criminalize the creation or distribution of obscene content involving minors, including digitally created or AI-generated materials.

HF 864 – Website Age Verification Requirements This House-passed bill would require adult content websites to implement age verification safeguards. While it stalled in the Senate, advocates are optimistic about reintroducing the legislation in the next session. Over twenty states have adopted similar laws. Moving Forward Protect My Innocence plans to continue collaborating with lawmakers and community members to advocate for child focused legislation. The organization believes more must be done to protect minors from sexualization, both online and in public spaces. For more information or to get involved, please visit us at www.protectmyinnocence.org.