SF 473 — A bill for an act relating to certain sincerely held religious or moral beliefs of certain entities for purposes of child foster care and adoption.

OficeoSenate ftheFile Governor473 KmRyods- hisounyerEnrolled gvrorSenate tgvenrFile ue0,06473 heooalealaeAN ertryfaeoIwaACT tteptlRELATING esons,oa539TO ear.Sctr,CERTAIN Ieeyrni:SINCERELY HELD RELIGIOUS OR MORAL BELIEFS OF CERTAIN ENTITIES FOR PURPOSES OF CHILD FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION.

Sntele3,nctetntoranieeyedriisomrlbifofBE ctintisoproesfhdfsraeaddpin.IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

hebveeaeieseeyapoednhsa.Section 1.

icey,Section _237.10, KmRyodsCode ovrorfoa2026, c:is amended by adding the following new subsection:

SceryfhenteNEW CekfteoseSUBSECTION STATECAPITOL. DES019 .851OWWW.GOVERNOR.IOWA.GOV $ WILLMAINTAIN umnminiMii imiiiumm 1huniHiiinlmn:unitimntirmumu ïnmr inil ri i n1 uT Ë NE R A17 A SSEMBI ,Y [>i lMii nflinimn m^ Seae ile 3 AN T REATNG O RTIN ICEEY ELD LIIOS R OAL EIES OF ETIN NITES OR ROSS F HID OSER RE ND ADPIO.

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NW SBECION.

TeThe eprmetdepartment halshall otnot odo yany fof the lowng:following:

()(1) ReuieRequire nan ndvdulindividual icnselicensee ror proedapproved ishpkinship caeivrcaregiver oto ffr,affirm, acpt,accept, ror pprtsupport aolcya eaedpolicy orelated seulto ointtinsexual rorientation ederor dnitygender atidentity oflcsthat ithconflicts ewith pesn'sthe ncreyperson’s eldsincerely liiusheld rreligious oalor eifs.moral beliefs.

()(2) PrcldePreclude aesona omperson engfrom ienedbeing slicensed nas diidalan lieneeindividual rlicensee prvedor sapproved nppovdas inhipan rgierapproved aedkinship ncaregiver based on the ronsperson’s inerlysincerely edheld eigousreligious ror rlmoral blefsbeliefs laedrelated to eulsexual rinttinorientation ror edergender enit,identity, ncuingincluding tbut otnot liiedlimited oto hethe rsnsperson’s itntintent oto ud,guide, isrut,instruct, ror aseraise a chldchild nin aanera nssentmanner thconsistent hewith rsnsthe snerlyperson’s edsincerely reigosheld rreligious orlor eles.moral beliefs.

1)(1) TeThe earmet,department, ndand ethe earmet'sdepartment’s sines,designees, shllshall tnot dotadopt a anad,standard, oic,policy, ror ulerule atthat ecudsprecludes nan inivdalindividual ieneelicensee ror nan prvedapproved nsipkinship aeivrcaregiver romfrom ingbeing cosieedconsidered sas aosibea lceentpossible rplacement for a idchild bsdbased non hethe pesn'sperson’s ncreysincerely eldheld liiusreligious ror oalmoral eifsbeliefs eatdrelated oto seulsexual ointtinorientation ror edergender enit.identity.

SnaeSenate ileFile 3,473, .p.

2 ()(2) TisThis aagaphparagraph alshall otnot rcldepreclude heeprtet,the department, or ethe eprmet'sdepartment’s sine,designee, rmfrom akngtaking nointo coutaccount hethe sncreysincerely edheld orlmoral ndand eiiosreligious elef,beliefs, ncuingincluding tbut otnot lmiedlimited oto ethe inerlysincerely edheld oalmoral ndand liiusreligious eiesbeliefs rlaedrelated oto xulsexual rinttinorientation ndand ndrgender detty,identity, fof ahlda adchild heand hl'sthe ailychild’s ffamily iinof sorigin opaedas ocompared eto inerlythe hldsincerely oalheld dmoral elgiusand eifsreligious fbeliefs aotntalof niidala lceseerpotential ppovdindividual inhiplicensee rgieror hnapproved etrinngkinship hecaregiver mstwhen prpratedetermining acmetthe ormost eappropriate hidplacement onitetfor iththe echild bstconsistent neesswith fthe hebest hl.interests of the child.

1)c. A rrnt r osecive dviual ceseero aprvd knhip reivr ay ing n tin sering a ilain f his bscio.

(1) A outcurrent ayor ovdeprospective heindividual crrntlicensee ror oseciveapproved diiualkinship ceseecaregiver rmay povdbring inhipan creieraction njntieasserting ele,a dcartoyviolation ele,of rthis thrsubsection. rlif s he urt es apopiae, nd y wrd esoabe atony fes d oss.

()A Tecourt ttrnymay eerlprovide aythe rngcurrent nor tinprospective oindividual nfrelicensee tisor sbscton.approved kinship caregiver injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or other relief as the court deems appropriate, and may award reasonable attorney fees and costs.

For(2) rpssThe fattorney hisgeneral bscio,may "ederbring etiy"mansan teaction aeto senforce efnedthis nsubsection. cion 9.8, nd eual inttin" mans e ae s efned necion 62.

Sc.d.

ecionFor 0.A,purposes deof 05,this ssubsection, ened“gender oidentity” edmeans sthe fllws:same as defined in section 279.78, and “sexual orientation” means the same as defined in section 216.2.

60.ASec. Aotin eries rvded yr hrugh e dprtent — lcton f opie arnt itra.

2.

Section 600.7A, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:

600.7A Adoption services provided by or through the department —— selection of adoptive parent criteria.

heThe patmntdepartment allshall optadopt lesrules ihwhich roideprovide atthat fif aopinadoption sricsservices reare rvdedprovided yby ror roghthrough ethe eprtet,department, ntwthtndngnotwithstanding nyany hrother slctonselection fof dptveadoptive retparent citra,criteria, hethe eridngoverriding rtrincriterion halshall ebe a eerncepreference rfor pacngplacing ahlda nchild atalein mea nirnmntstable shome peitoulyenvironment as sibe.expeditiously as possible.

2.

TeThe earmetdepartment halshall otnot odo yany fof hethe olwig;following:

()(1) RqureRequire aropctvea dptveprospective aetadoptive oparent ffr,to acpt,affirm, raccept, pprtor aolcysupport laeda opolicy eulrelated rinttinto rsexual gndrorientation dettyor htgender onlctsidentity ththat heconflicts rsnswith inerlythe edperson’s rliiussincerely rheld oalreligious eifs.or moral beliefs.

()(2) PecudePreclude aesna romperson ingfrom aifedbeing squalified aropetveas aopiea arntprospective aedadoptive nparent ebased eronson inerlythe ldperson’s eigossincerely Snaeheld ilereligious 3,Senate .File 473, p.

3 or ralmoral lefsbeliefs laedrelated oto eulsexual rinttinorientation ror edergender ieniy,identity, ncuingincluding tbut otnot iiedlimited oto hethe rsnsperson’s itntintent oto gid,guide, nsrct,instruct, ror iseraise ahlda nchild aanrin cnisenta thmanner teconsistent ero'swith iceelythe ldperson’s eiiossincerely rheld orlreligious eies.or moral beliefs.

1)b. he eatmnt, d he eatmnts esgne, sall t dpt atadrd, liy, r ue ht relues a prsn romeig onidreds a il's rspcive opive pret aed n he rsns snerly ed elgous r ral blifs eaed o eual iettin r ener dnit.

()(1) TisThe aagaphdepartment, aland otthe rcldedepartment’s heeprtentdesignees, omshall tkignot noadopt ccunta estandard, ineelypolicy, ldor oalrule dthat rlgiusprecludes blif,a icudngperson iceelyfrom ldbeing ralconsidered das elgousa lifschild’s rlaedprospective oadoptive xulparent rinttonbased ndon ndrthe detty,person’s fsincerely ahldheld adreligious heor il'smoral ailybeliefs frelated iinto ssexual opaedorientation o e inerly hld oal d elgius eifs f aropetve dptve pret hn etrmnig he st prorite lcmet or hegender cildidentity. nisent th he st teess f he il.

1)(2) AThis osetieparagraph dotieshall arntnot ypreclude rigthe ndepartment ctonfrom asetigtaking aioatoninto faccount hsthe usetin.sincerely held moral and religious beliefs, including sincerely held moral and religious beliefs related to sexual orientation and gender identity, of a child and the child’s family of origin as compared to the sincerely held moral and religious beliefs of a prospective adoptive parent when determining the most appropriate placement for the child consistent with the best interests of the child.

Ac. urt y roide a rspcive opive rnt nuntie ele, dcartoy rlif, r her lif s he urt ems popiae, nd y aard asnble toney es d oss.

()(1) TeA ttrnyprospective enrladoptive ayparent rngmay nbring tinan oaction nfrceasserting isa sbscton.violation of this subsection.

ForA rpsscourt fmay hisprovide bscio,a "ederprospective etiy"mensadoptive teparent aeinjunctive srelief, efneddeclaratory nrelief, cionor 9.8,other ndrelief eualas inttin"the manscourt edeems aeappropriate, sand efnedmay necionaward 62.reasonable attorney fees and costs.

Sc.(2) The attorney general may bring an action to enforce this subsection.

EPRTETd. F EATH ND MN SRICS - HID FSTR AE ND DPTON EVCES - PATMNT VIW F RLIIUS RANZAINS.

TheFor patmntpurposes fof alhthis ndsubsection, uan“gender evcesidentity” allmeans aoptthe lssame uruatas odefined hatrin 7Asection o279.78, mndand e“sexual eprten'sorientation” rlesmeans ltigthe osame hidas oterdefined rein ndsection opin216.2. rcuimet, rteton, aiin, nd uprt evies o ovde, les ohewie rvied y eeal aw r guaio, tat n etiy ht ols tslf t o he ulic s aliios ogaizton s eind n etin 3C1, nd at s a cntat, ucotrc, or hr gremnt ih he patmnt or n et f he earmnt o rvie hid oter re Snae ile 3, .