Des Moines Register Iowa's public colleges and universities couldn't require students or staff to wear face masks or social distance to protect against the coronavirus while off campus, according to a bill that advanced through a House subcommittee Tuesday. The bill, House File 162, would also ban accredited private institutions that have similar off-campus requirements from receiving state funding through the Iowa Tuition Grant Program, which assists students attending private institutions. Rep. Joe Mitchell, R-Mount Pleasant, said he believes some universities have overstepped their authority in how they have penalized students caught violating these guidelines off-campus. "We don't think that's acceptable that students are being threatened to be expelled if they're (seen) not wearing a face covering off campus — and I have emails of proof of that, of those threats happening," he said during a subcommittee meeting Tuesday. "This comes from a point of view that there's certain parameters that a university doesn't have for students off-campus."