---
type: "Bill"
title: "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."
description: "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."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ia"
legislature: "Iowa General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "SF 473"
citation: "Iowa SF 473 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["adoptions", "attorney general", "children", "foster care", "gender", "health and human services department", "parents", "religion", "sexual orientation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 11
action_count: 40
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-02-27"
last_action: "2026-06-02"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cfa858c0-ff5c-40c5-ba12-edd520690473"
source_url: "https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/billTracking/billHistory?billName=SF 473&ga=91"
source_hash: "e1a78f974459676c59285ad08006340932b598e668b326df461858a08ef670f6"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ia"]
---

# Iowa SF 473 (2025-2026) — 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.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/attachments/SF473.html)
2. **Amendment H-8320** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/AMDI/91/H8320.pdf)
3. **Amendment H-8353** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/AMDI/91/H8353.pdf)
4. **Amendment H-8370** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/AMDI/91/H8370.pdf)
5. **Amendment S-3047** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/AMDI/91/S3047.pdf)
6. **Amendment S-5200** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/AMDI/91/S5200.pdf)
7. **Enrolled with Governor's Action** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGEG/91/attachments/SF473.html)
8. **Reprinted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGR/91/attachments/SF473.html)
9. **Reprinted Marked Up** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGRM/91/attachments/SF473.html)
10. **Signed Enrolled Bill (PDF)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/Attachments/SF473_GovLetter.pdf)
11. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/attachments/SF473.html)

## Votes

- Shall the bill pass? — **28–16** (pass) · upper
- Shall the bill pass? — **35–14** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES — primary (organization)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-02-27** Introduced, placed on calendar. `introduction`
- **2025-02-27** Committee report, approving bill. `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-25** Amendment S-3047 filed, adopted. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2025-03-25** Passed Senate, yeas 35, nays 14. `passage`
- **2025-03-25** Immediate message.
- **2025-03-25** Message from Senate.
- **2025-03-25** Read first time, referred to Judiciary. `reading-1`
- **2025-03-28** Subcommittee: Wheeler, Holt and Wessel-Kroeschell.
- **2025-03-31** Subcommittee reassigned: Williams, Holt and Wessel-Kroeschell.
- **2025-04-01** Subcommittee Meeting: 04/02/2025 7:30AM RM 102.
- **2025-04-02** Subcommittee recommends passage. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-02** Committee report, recommending passage. `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-02** Committee vote: Yeas, 14. Nays, 6. Excused, 1.
- **2025-04-02** Placed on calendar.
- **2025-04-10** Placed on calendar under unfinished business.
- **2025-05-15** Rereferred to Judiciary.
- **2026-03-03** Subcommittee: Williams, Dunwell and Wessel-Kroeschell.
- **2026-03-03** Subcommittee Meeting: 03/05/2026 8:15AM House Lounge.
- **2026-03-05** Subcommittee recommends passage. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-18** Committee report, recommending passage. `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-18** Committee vote: Yeas, 14. Nays, 6. Excused, 1.
- **2026-03-18** Placed on calendar.
- **2026-03-26** Placed on calendar under unfinished business.
- **2026-04-07** Amendment H-8320 filed. `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-04-13** Amendment H-8353 filed. `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-04-15** Amendment H-8370 filed. `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-04-20** Amendment H-8370 withdrawn.
- **2026-04-20** Point of order raised on amendment H-8320, ruled not germane.
- **2026-04-20** Motion to suspend rules for immediate consideration of amendment H-8320, yeas 39, nays 53.
- **2026-04-20** Motion to suspend rules failed.
- **2026-04-20** Amendment H-8353 adopted. `amendment-passage`
- **2026-04-20** Passed House, yeas 58, nays 34. `passage`
- **2026-04-20** Immediate message.
- **2026-04-21** Message from House, with amendment S-5200.
- **2026-04-21** Senate concurred with S-5200.
- **2026-04-21** Passed Senate, yeas 28, nays 16. `passage`
- **2026-04-21** Immediate message.
- **2026-04-21** Message from Senate.
- **2026-05-05** Reported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor.
- **2026-06-02** Signed by Governor. `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cfa858c0-ff5c-40c5-ba12-edd520690473`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Iowa legislature records).