This bill requires Iowa's Department of Corrections to provide mental health support for state corrections officers. It mandates hiring mental health liaisons for each correctional facility (or covering multiple facilities), implementing an annual 5-10 question mental health screening survey to identify severe conditions like schizophrenia or depression, and establishing outreach teams to refer officers needing care to local providers. The bill also requires the department to provide one annual, confidential, employer-funded counseling session per officer and appropriates $400,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026 to cover liaison salaries, screening technology, and outreach team costs. These changes aim to improve officer mental health, reduce turnover, and support workplace well-being.
SF 190 protects individuals who report sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination by making such communications legally privileged, meaning they cannot be sued for defamation without proof of malice. It creates a special legal process allowing defendants in defamation cases to quickly request dismissal of the lawsuit through an expedited motion, with courts required to rule within 60 days. The bill covers reports made in workplaces, schools, and online contexts (including cyber sexual bullying), protecting those who report incidents with a reasonable basis. It also entitles successful defendants to recover attorney fees, damages for harm caused by the lawsuit, and other remedies.
This bill (SSB 1010) modifies civil service procedures for city employees in Iowa, primarily affecting police and fire department staff in cities with populations over 8,000. It prohibits cities from creating citizen review boards to oversee police conduct (Section 1) and strengthens disciplinary standards by requiring cities to prove misconduct by a "preponderance of evidence" and justify punishment as "proportionate, reasonable, and just" (Sections 3, 4, 9). The bill also mandates disclosure of exculpatory evidence during disciplinary hearings (Section 5) and ensures public hearings for appeals (Section 8), while clarifying that civil service commissions must consider factors like employee history and policy compliance when reviewing cases. These changes apply to all cities with established civil service commissions under Iowa law.
HSB 73 repeals a requirement that the Iowa public employees’ retirement system must send written notices to members who leave their jobs before retiring. This bill directly affects public employees in Iowa who terminate covered employment, as it removes the obligation for the retirement system to provide them with account balance details and explanation of options at their last known address. The key provision is simply eliminating this specific notification process under Code chapter 97B. The bill does not create new benefits or alter retirement eligibility, only repealing an existing communication requirement.
This bill allows surviving spouses and children of Iowa state employees to maintain their health insurance coverage if the employee died from a work-related traumatic injury (such as a workplace accident), excluding deaths from stress, chronic illness, misconduct, or gross negligence. It requires the state to permit continued coverage or reenrollment for eligible families, though the state isn’t obligated to pay for it - families may cover costs if the state doesn’t. Coverage continues until eligibility is confirmed or if the family becomes ineligible for other reasons (e.g., remarriage). The bill specifically applies to employees covered under Iowa’s state health insurance plans at the time of death.
This Iowa bill (1057XD) upgrades penalties for assaults against specific public safety and service workers, including peace officers, correctional staff, healthcare providers, firefighters, and others. It increases penalties to a class "C" felony for assaults with intent to cause serious injury or involving dangerous weapons, and to a class "D" felony for causing bodily injury or mental illness. For inmates, it makes assaults involving bodily fluids (like spitting) against correctional staff a class "D" felony, requiring a minimum seven-day prison sentence. The bill directly affects anyone who assaults these designated workers while knowing their occupation, with stricter penalties than current law.
This bill modifies Iowa's education reporting requirements, establishes a national board certification pilot program for teachers, and updates employee compensation for staff at Iowa's educational services for the blind and deaf. It requires community colleges to submit annual financial data directly to the Iowa Department of Education (DE) by March 15, with DE including a statewide summary in its annual report to lawmakers by February 1. The bill allocates $508,250 for teacher certification awards under the pilot program and mandates DE to establish annual compensation schedules for employees of the blind/visually impaired and deaf programs. These changes affect community colleges, public school teachers seeking certification, and staff at specialized educational programs.
HF 818 adjusts contribution rates for Iowa's public employees' retirement system (IPERS) and municipal fire/police retirement systems. It reduces employee contributions to 0% for members in protection occupations (fire/police) and sheriff/deputy sheriff roles starting July 1, 2025, shifting the full cost to employers (100% employer contribution). Previously, employees paid a portion (e.g., 9.4% through 2024), but this bill eliminates their required payments for these specific groups. The change applies to both the state IPERS system and municipal fire/police retirement systems.
This bill establishes Iowa's "Work Without Worry Program," providing Medicaid health coverage to employed individuals with disabilities aged 18-65 who meet income and disability criteria. It removes typical Medicaid income and resource limits by using federal Medicaid rules, allowing participants to keep jobs without losing health coverage - automatically enrolling Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and excluding employment income from eligibility calculations. Participants pay a monthly premium of 6% of their verified "countable income" (excluding certain household income and federal benefits), with a six-month grace period for temporary job loss or health issues. The program coordinates with employer health coverage to avoid duplicate payments and ensures access to all traditional Medicaid services plus community-based long-term supports.
This bill increases penalties for assaults against specific public safety and healthcare workers, including peace officers, correctional staff, firefighters, healthcare providers, and Department of Corrections employees. It upgrades certain assaults to higher felony classifications (e.g., class C felony for assaults with intent to cause serious injury or involving weapons) and designates spitting or bodily fluid contact as an aggravated misdemeanor requiring a minimum 7-day jail term. The bill also creates a new class D felony for inmates who assault Corrections employees using bodily fluids like blood or saliva. These provisions directly affect individuals committing such assaults and the protected occupations listed in the law.
