HomeMy WebLinkAboutA033 - Discussion on letter to Legislators regarding HF 2541To:Mayor & City Council
From:Mark O. Lambert, City Attorney
Date:March 10, 2026
Subject:HF 2541
Item No. 33
MEMO
Last year, the Iowa Legislature removed gender identity as a protected class
under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. On February 10, 2026, the Ames City Council
adopted Ordinance #4586, which added gender identity as a protected class
under the Ames Human Rights ordinance.
The Iowa Legislature is currently considering HF 2541, which would prohibit
cities from having broader protections under local civil rights ordinances than the
state Civil Rights Act. The same language of HF 2541 is being offered as an
amendment to another bill, SF 579. That amendment passed, and the bill passed
the House on Thursday, March 5. The bill will now go back to the Iowa Senate.
At the February 24, 2026 Council meeting, the Council adopted a motion to place
on a future agenda a discussion of sending a letter to the state legislators who
represent Ames, stating opposition to the Legislature taking away local control on
this subject matter.
Two city councils in the Des Moines Metro area have recently sent letters to their
legislators expressing opposition to HF 2451. One was the City of Urbandale,
and one was the City of Windsor Heights. Examples of their letters are attached.
The Council can direct that a letter, on behalf of the Council, expressing
opposition to HF 2541 (or similar bills), be sent to state legislators who represent
any portion of the City of Ames.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Sample City Correspondence.pdf
HF2541Letter.pdf
Legal 515.239.5105 main
515.239.5142 fax
515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811
Ames, IA 50010
www.CityofAmes.org
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
1145 66th St Suite 1• Windsor Heights, IA 50324 • p 515.279.3662 • f 515.279.3664 • www.windsorheights.org
The Honorable Renee Hardman
Iowa Senate
Iowa State Capitol
1007 E. Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
The Honorable Jennifer Konfrst
Iowa House of Representatives
Iowa State Capitol
1007 E. Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
Dear Senator Hardman and Representative Konfrst,
On behalf of the Windsor Heights City Council, I am writing to request your support in preserving our rights
to provide services and protections to our residents, and to convey our opposition to House File 2541. Over
the past decade, the majority party in the Iowa Legislature has passed several laws to roll back Home Rule
and strip Iowans of their individual freedoms. However, this appears to be a rare instance where these two
unfortunate policy positions intersect, leading the Council to take such a rare action.
A line I often hear, or some iteration of it, is “what works in Des Moines might not work in Denison.” And
this is true. Passing laws at the state level is hard because one size often doesn’t fit all. The Legislature knew
that back in the 1960’s, and that’s why they passed the Home Rule Amendment. Local communities are
better equipped to address local issues because they are actually experiencing them. Local communities elect
local officials because they trust those people to lead them and pass laws that advance their interests. Further,
local communities elect local leaders because they trust those people to protect them.
To take away a municipality's ability to expand civil rights protections not only erodes trust in local
government, it also continues to erode trust in our State. Erasing “gender identity” from the Iowa Civil Rights
Act, undoing bipartisan legislation passed in 2007, was an affront to Iowa’s proud history of tolerance. Iowa
eliminated its law banning interracial marriage over 100 years before the United States Supreme Court
decision in Loving v. Virginia, integrated its schools 96 years before Brown v. Board of Education, and was the first
state to admit women to the practice of law. It seems we are sliding backwards instead of moving forward.
The passage of House File 2541, or any related successor or companion bill, would take away the decision-
making ability of those closest to the people affected by local issues. Cities pass civil rights protections to
strengthen, not divide, their communities, and pass them in line with Iowa’s rich history of protecting
marginalized persons. We respectfully ask that you consider opposing HF 2541 or any related bill and
preserve Home Rule in the realm of civil rights protections.
Sincerely,
________________________________
Michael Jones, Mayor
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