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House passes bill restricting some hires from federally designated adversary countries at public universities
Summary
House File 2513 passed after amendments that expanded the bill's reach to community and private colleges and added countries; sponsors framed the measure as protecting sensitive research and intellectual property and advancing national security, while critics warned it could hamper hiring and research at regent institutions.
House File 2513, a measure limiting employment contracts at public institutions with citizens of certain federally designated foreign adversaries or state sponsors of terrorism, passed the House after floor amendments and debate.
The sponsor opened by saying the bill "enhances national security and protects sensitive research at Iowa's public universities" and cited concerns about espionage and intellectual‑property theft in research hires from adversarial nations such as China. Subsequent amendments added Syria to the banned list and extended provisions to community and private colleges; those amendments passed. Opponents—including members who represented university regions—warned the bill could affect hundreds of current students, faculty and researchers at the state's regent institutions, complicate hiring for research roles, and make it difficult to recruit specialists for hard‑to‑fill positions.
Supporters said the legislation would not take effect until July 1 and emphasized national‑security considerations; opponents said they had not seen abuse in Iowa and worried about the law's reach. The clerk recorded the final vote as "Those voting I 67, those voting no, 27, absent or not voting 6." The chair declared HF 2513 passed.
