This bill amends Iowa law to protect the sincerely held religious or moral beliefs of child foster care providers and prospective adoptive parents regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. It prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from requiring foster parents to affirm or support policies that conflict with their beliefs and from disqualifying individuals from providing foster care based on these beliefs. Additionally, HHS and its designees are barred from adopting any standards or policies that would prevent a foster parent from being considered based on their beliefs. However, the bill clarifies that HHS can still consider the beliefs of a child and their family when determining appropriate placements.

The bill also extends similar protections to prospective adoptive parents, ensuring they cannot be required to affirm policies that conflict with their beliefs or be disqualified based on those beliefs. It allows both current and prospective foster care providers and adoptive parents to take legal action if they believe their rights under this bill have been violated, with courts able to provide various forms of relief, including injunctive relief and the awarding of attorney fees. Importantly, actions can be initiated without the need to exhaust administrative remedies, and the attorney general is empowered to enforce these provisions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 237.10, 600.7A