The Iowa House of Representatives passed a bill that requires at least 80% of students accepted into the University of Iowa dental and medical schools to have ties to the state, according to a March 13 report from Des Moines Register.
House File 516 would ensure that at least four out of five students who meet basic qualification and are accepted into the university’s College of Dentistry and College of Carver Medicine are either Iowa residents or be enrolled in a university or community college in the state.
House Republicans claim that the legislation will help with the state’s dentist and physician shortage, while House Democrats assert that the bill will be costly for the state and cause the school to pass over potential students from out of state.
According to an analysis from the Legislative Services Agency, the bill would cause the university’s dental and medical schools to lose more than $5 million over the next four fiscal years.
The bill passed the state’s House with a 67-28 vote and will head to the state Senate for consideration, the report said.
