(Radio Iowa) — Thursdays have become the last day of the legislature’s work week in Des Moines and today (Thursday) is the deadline for many bills to get voted out of a House or Senate Committee. Some bills have already been tabled. That includes legislation that would have banned health care providers from offering treatment to try to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Nate Monson with a group called “Iowa Safe Schools” says the bill didn’t go far enough. “What we really want when we’re talking about banning conversion therapy is not just for licensed mental health professionals, but also calling it what it is,” Monson says. “It’s child abuse.”

The bill would have exempted religious groups, parents and grandparents, but some religious organizations say the bill still discriminates against particular viewpoints about sexual orientation. Today’s so-called “funnel” deadline does NOT apply to bills that deal with taxes or spending.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)