A bill for an act providing paid leave to state employees for volunteer activities.

HF 2177 would allow Iowa state employees to take up to eight hours of paid leave each year for volunteer activities without losing seniority, pay, vacation time, health benefits, or other employment protections. Employees would be compensated at their regular hourly rate for the time taken off. The bill also clarifies that during this leave, employees would not be considered state employees for workers' compensation or tort claims purposes. This directly affects all Iowa state employees who wish to volunteer during work hours. The policy change aims to support employee community engagement while maintaining workplace benefits.