Bill Text: IA HF331 | 2025-2026 | 91st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act implementing requirements related to organizations that sponsor or administer extracurricular interscholastic athletics, including the creation of a conference realignment committee.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-19 - Subcommittee recommends passage. [HF331 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2025-HF331-Introduced.html
House
File
331
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
331
BY
BERGAN
and
GRASSLEY
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
implementing
requirements
related
to
organizations
1
that
sponsor
or
administer
extracurricular
interscholastic
2
athletics,
including
the
creation
of
a
conference
3
realignment
committee.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
5
TLSB
1836YH
(11)
91
jda/jh
H.F.
331
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
280.13D
Realignment
of
high
school
1
athletics
conferences
——
committee
approval.
2
1.
For
purposes
of
this
section:
3
a.
“Extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics”
means
a
4
contest
or
competition
for
sports
between
different
school
5
districts
or
accredited
nonpublic
schools
and
outside
the
6
regular
scope
of
a
school
district’s
or
accredited
nonpublic
7
school’s
curriculum.
8
b.
“Organization”
means
the
Iowa
high
school
athletic
9
association
or
its
successor
organization,
and
the
Iowa
girls
10
high
school
athletic
union
or
its
successor
organization.
11
2.
On
or
after
July
1,
2025,
a
school
district
shall
not
12
expend
any
moneys,
and
an
accredited
nonpublic
school
shall
13
not
expend
any
moneys
originating
from
the
state,
to
pay
14
dues
or
membership
fees
to
an
organization,
and
the
school
15
district
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
shall
not
be
a
member
16
of,
participate
in
activities
associated
with,
or
receive
17
services
from
an
organization
unless
the
organization,
for
each
18
school
year
beginning
on
or
after
July
1,
2025,
develops
and
19
implements
a
policy
that
does
all
of
the
following:
20
a.
(1)
Establishes,
in
combination
with
the
other
21
organization,
a
committee
known
as
the
conference
realignment
22
committee.
The
conference
realignment
committee
shall
do
all
23
of
the
following:
24
(a)
Take
action
to
bring
about
a
reasonable
conference
25
affiliation
and
relationship
for
high
schools
that
are
26
members
of
organizations.
Reasonable
conference
affiliation
27
and
relationship
with
member
high
schools
may
include
28
total
movement
of
member
schools,
sport-specific
relief,
or
29
scheduling
assistance.
When
taking
action
to
bring
about
30
a
reasonable
conference
affiliation
and
relationship
for
31
member
high
schools,
the
committee
shall
consider
all
of
the
32
following:
33
(i)
The
current
total
enrollment
of
the
member
high
schools
34
and
the
projected
total
enrollment
of
the
member
high
schools
35
-1-
LSB
1836YH
(11)
91
jda/jh
1/
5
H.F.
331
in
the
future.
1
(ii)
Travel
distances
between
member
high
schools.
2
(iii)
The
comparability
of
instructional
programs
provided
3
by
member
high
schools.
4
(iv)
Traditional
rivalries.
5
(v)
The
number
of
member
high
schools
currently
in
the
6
conference
and
the
number
of
high
schools
that
may
be
added
to
7
the
conference.
8
(vi)
The
comparability
of
athletic
programs
and
other
9
school-sponsored
programs
provided
by
the
member
high
schools.
10
(b)
Review
all
requests
that
are
submitted
to
the
11
committee
by
school
districts
and
accredited
nonpublic
schools
12
that
are
members
of
an
organization
related
to
changing
13
the
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
conferences
14
the
school
belongs
to,
including
moving
a
member
school
15
to
a
different
conference.
A
request
submitted
under
this
16
subparagraph
division
must
contain
an
analysis
of
how
the
17
change
will
affect
the
school
district
or
accredited
nonpublic
18
school
submitting
the
request
along
with
how
the
change
may
19
affect
other
school
districts
and
accredited
nonpublic
schools
20
that
are
members
of
the
organization.
21
(c)
When
determining
whether
to
approve
or
reject
the
22
request,
the
committee
shall
consider
the
factors
described
23
in
subparagraph
division
(a)
and
how
to
best
bring
about
24
reasonable
interscholastic
athletics
conferences
that
25
are
beneficial
to
students
enrolled
in
school
districts
26
and
accredited
nonpublic
schools
that
are
members
of
the
27
organization.
After
making
a
decision,
the
committee
shall
28
provide
a
copy
of
the
request
and
the
committee’s
decision
to
29
the
applicable
organization
and
order
the
organization
to
take
30
all
actions
necessary
to
effectuate
the
committee’s
decision.
31
If
the
committee’s
decision
rejects
the
school
district’s
or
32
accredited
nonpublic
school’s
request,
the
committee
shall
33
recommend
an
alternative
conference
alignment
or
allow
the
34
school
district
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
to
opt
for
35
-2-
LSB
1836YH
(11)
91
jda/jh
2/
5
H.F.
331
independent
status.
1
(d)
Develop
an
expedited
review
process
for
requests
to
2
change
an
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
conference
3
membership
that
are
submitted
to
the
committee
by
all
school
4
districts
and
accredited
nonpublic
schools
that
may
be
affected
5
by
the
change.
The
expedited
review
process
must
require
the
6
committee
to
provide
a
copy
of
the
requests
received
under
7
this
subparagraph
division
to
the
applicable
organization
and
8
to
direct
the
applicable
organization
to
take
all
actions
9
necessary
to
effectuate
the
committee’s
decision.
10
(e)
Review
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
11
conference
changes
at
least
once
every
two
years.
12
(f)
Allow
a
school
district
or
an
accredited
nonpublic
13
school
to
appeal
orders
issued
by
the
committee
to
the
director
14
of
the
department
of
education.
15
(2)
(a)
The
conference
realignment
committee
shall
consist
16
of
eighteen
members,
subject
to
the
following
requirements:
17
(i)
Nine
members
shall
be
superintendents
employed
by
18
school
districts
or
accredited
nonpublic
schools
located
in
19
different
geographical
regions
of
the
state.
20
(ii)
Nine
members
shall
be
activities
directors
employed
21
by
school
districts
or
accredited
nonpublic
schools
located
in
22
different
geographical
regions
of
the
state.
23
(b)
A
quorum
of
the
committee
shall
consist
of
ten
members.
24
The
members
of
the
committee
shall
elect
a
chairperson
of
the
25
committee.
26
(c)
Each
organization
shall
appoint
nine
members
to
the
27
committee
pursuant
to
a
process
established
by
the
state
board
28
of
education
by
rule.
29
b.
Prohibits
the
organization
from
changing
membership
30
of
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
conferences,
31
including
moving
a
member
school
to
a
different
conference,
32
unless
the
conference
realignment
committee
ordered
the
33
organization
to
make
such
change
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
,
34
subparagraph
(1),
subparagraph
division
(c)
or
(d).
35
-3-
LSB
1836YH
(11)
91
jda/jh
3/
5
H.F.
331
c.
Requires
the
organization
to
develop
an
expedited
review
1
and
implementation
process
for
orders
received
pursuant
to
2
paragraph
“a”
,
subparagraph
(1),
subparagraph
division
(d).
3
d.
Requires
that,
in
order
for
a
school
district
4
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
to
be
included
in
any
5
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
conference,
the
6
school
must
offer
at
least
one
extracurricular
interscholastic
7
athletics
activity
for
boys
and
at
least
one
extracurricular
8
interscholastic
athletics
activity
for
girls
in
the
fall,
9
winter,
spring,
and
summer.
Schools
that
are
not
coeducational
10
must
offer
at
least
one
extracurricular
interscholastic
11
athletics
activity
for
boys
or
girls,
as
applicable,
in
the
12
fall,
winter,
spring,
and
summer.
13
e.
Prohibits
a
member
school
district
or
accredited
14
nonpublic
school
that
withdraws
from
an
extracurricular
15
interscholastic
athletics
conference,
without
approval,
from
16
doing
any
of
the
following:
17
(1)
Competing
in
the
same
extracurricular
interscholastic
18
athletics
activity
in
any
conference
for
the
two
years
19
immediately
subsequent
to
the
date
the
member
school
district
20
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
withdrew.
21
(2)
Competing
in
a
tournament
sponsored
by
an
organization
22
in
the
same
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
activity
23
for
the
two
years
immediately
subsequent
to
the
date
the
member
24
school
district
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
withdrew.
25
3.
The
state
board
of
education
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
26
to
chapter
17A
to
administer
this
section.
27
EXPLANATION
28
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
29
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
30
This
bill
implements
requirements
related
to
organizations
31
that
sponsor
or
administer
extracurricular
interscholastic
32
athletics,
including
the
creation
of
a
conference
realignment
33
committee.
34
The
bill
defines
“extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics”
35
-4-
LSB
1836YH
(11)
91
jda/jh
4/
5
H.F.
331
as
a
contest
or
competition
for
sports
between
different
1
school
districts
or
accredited
nonpublic
schools
and
outside
2
the
regular
scope
of
a
school
district’s
or
accredited
3
nonpublic
school’s
curriculum.
Additionally,
the
bill
defines
4
“organization”
as
the
Iowa
high
school
athletics
association
5
and
the
Iowa
girls
high
school
athletic
union,
or
their
6
successor
organizations.
7
The
bill
provides
that
on
or
after
July
1,
2025,
a
school
8
district
shall
not
expend
any
moneys,
and
an
accredited
9
nonpublic
school
shall
not
expend
any
moneys
originating
from
10
the
state,
to
pay
dues
or
membership
fees
to
an
organization,
11
and
the
school
district
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
shall
12
not
be
a
member
of,
participate
in
activities
associated
13
with,
or
receive
services
from
an
organization
unless
the
14
organization
establishes,
in
combination
with
each
other
15
organization,
a
committee
known
as
the
conference
realignment
16
committee
that
is
tasked
with
taking
action
to
bring
about
17
reasonable
conference
affiliation
and
relationship
for
member
18
high
schools
pursuant
to
requests
submitted
by
member
high
19
schools;
develops
and
implements
a
policy
that
prohibits
the
20
organization
from
changing
the
extracurricular
interscholastic
21
athletics
conferences
unless
the
conference
realignment
22
committee
ordered
the
organization
to
make
such
change;
23
requires
the
organization
to
develop
an
expedited
review
and
24
implementation
process
for
certain
specified
orders
received
by
25
the
committee;
requires
member
schools
to
offer
at
least
one
26
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
activity
for
boys
27
and
at
least
one
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
28
activity
for
girls
in
all
seasons;
prohibits
member
schools
29
that
withdraw
from
an
extracurricular
interscholastic
athletics
30
conference,
without
approval,
from
competing
in
any
conference
31
for
two
years
and
from
competing
in
a
tournament
sponsored
by
32
an
organization
in
the
same
activity
for
two
years.
33
The
bill
requires
the
state
board
of
education
to
adopt
rules
34
to
administer
the
bill’s
provisions.
35
-5-
LSB
1836YH
(11)
91
jda/jh
5/
5
