Capital Clicks

House passes bill to prohibit COVID-19 vaccine requirement in schools, day cares

By: Katie Akin - February 28, 2022 4:52 pm

(Photo by Getty Images)

Iowa’s child care centers, schools and colleges would not be allowed to require the COVID-19 vaccine under a bill passed Monday by the Iowa House.

House File 2298 would prohibit Iowa schools from requiring COVID-19 immunization for virtual or in-person enrollment. The bill applies to licensed child care centers, K-12 schools, public colleges, community colleges and accredited private colleges.

The restriction would last until 2029.

Only one Democrat spoke in opposition to the bill, although all Democrats present voted against it.

“I thought we want to stay out of private business,” said Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Cerro Gordo. “This bill tells private day cares, private K-12s, private colleges what they can do, what they can’t do.”

The bill passed by a vote of 57-36, making it eligible for Senate consideration. One Republican, Rep. Brian Lohse of Bondurant, joined Democrats in opposition to the legislation.

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Katie Akin

Katie Akin is a former Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter. Katie began her career as an intern at PolitiFact, debunking viral fake news and fact-checking state and national politicians. She moved to Iowa in 2019 for a politics internship at the Des Moines Register, where she assisted with Iowa Caucus coverage, multimedia projects and the Register’s Iowa Poll. She became the Register’s retail reporter in early 2020, chronicling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Central Iowa’s restaurants and retailers.