Labor & Employment

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 19, 2025

SF 346: A bill for an act relating to procedures for grievances under the merit system for state employees.

SF 346 modifies grievance procedures for Iowa state employees under the merit system. It requires the director to explain their decision in writing when responding to third-step grievances or disciplinary appeals (like discharge or demotion), including details about interviews conducted, their results, and the reasoning behind the decision. This applies to employees who have exhausted agency-level steps, except those covered by collective bargaining agreements. The bill adds transparency to the process without changing response time limits or filing deadlines.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires written explanations for grievance decisions, increasing transparency and protecting state employees' procedural rights under merit system.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Public Employees

Track

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 24, 2025

SF 380: A bill for an act relating to prohibitions on noncompete covenants involving nurses and including applicability provisions.

SF 380 prohibits noncompete agreements for nurses in Iowa, directly affecting registered nurses and advanced registered nurse practitioners. It makes noncompete clauses void if a nurse earns under 150% of the minimum wage, and requires employers to prove such agreements are narrowly tailored to prevent unfair competition for higher-earning nurses. Violations entitle nurses to recover lost wages, attorney fees, and up to triple damages for willful violations, with employers facing $5,000 fines per violation. The law applies to agreements entered into on or after its effective date.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits noncompete clauses for nurses, improving workforce mobility and patient access to care by removing barriers to employment in healthcare settings.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits noncompete clauses for nurses under 150% minimum wage, protecting job mobility and enabling recovery of lost wages and damages.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Minimum Wage

Track

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 24, 2025

SF 372: A bill for an act concerning eligibility for unemployment benefits.

SF 372 amends Iowa's unemployment benefits law to expand eligibility for workers on temporary layoffs. It changes the definition of "short-term seasonal or temporary layoff" to include non-weather conditions beyond highway construction work, removing the requirement for a specific return-to-work date verified by employers. The bill also adds a new provision preventing benefit denial if workers refuse job offers due to unforeseen circumstances (like cybersecurity attacks) causing a temporary business shutdown, provided they expect to return to the same employer. This directly affects unemployed Iowans who were laid off due to seasonal work disruptions or sudden business closures but have a clear path back to their previous jobs.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands unemployment eligibility by broadening layoff definitions and preventing benefit denial for unforeseen circumstances, strengthening worker protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Unemployment

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2025

HF 611: A bill for an act providing for increased wage rates for required work on certain holidays and making penalties and remedies applicable.

HF 611 requires Iowa employers to pay employees 1.5 times their regular hourly wage for work performed on specific holidays, including legal public holidays, designated paid holidays, federal holidays observed by the U.S. Postal Service, and federal banking holidays. This directly affects employees working on those days and their employers across all industries covered by Iowa wage laws. The bill establishes that this higher pay rate applies automatically when work is required on these designated days, with enforcement handled by the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing under existing wage law provisions. Violations can result in penalties, damages, or civil fines.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates 1.5x pay for holiday work, directly increasing wages for employees on designated holidays, strengthening worker compensation under Labor & Employment protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 26, 2025

HF 538: A bill for an act relating to employment of persons with disabilities.

HF 538 requires Iowa employers to pay workers with disabilities at least the state minimum wage starting July 1, 2026, ending a federal exception that previously allowed lower wages for some disabled employees. It declares competitive and integrated employment (working alongside non-disabled peers in typical workplaces at or above minimum wage) as the preferred option for state programs helping people with disabilities find jobs. State agencies must implement this policy in their employment services, and the state will conduct outreach to help employers understand the new wage rule. Nonprofits operating sheltered workshops are temporarily exempt until July 1, 2027, after which the exemption ends.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates state minimum wage for disabled workers, ending federal exception allowing lower pay, strengthening wage protections for vulnerable employees.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Minimum Wage Tags People with Disabilities

Track

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 25, 2025

SSB 1111: A bill for an act providing for disqualification for unemployment benefits due to separation from short-term employment with a fixed end date and including applicability provisions.

This Iowa bill would deny unemployment benefits to workers who leave jobs ending within 180 days of starting, if the job had a written contract with a fixed end date and other specific conditions were met. It applies only to short-term contracts where the employer and employee agreed upfront that benefits wouldn't be available upon the contract's conclusion. The disqualification takes effect for employment beginning after the bill's effective date. This change targets fixed-term employment arrangements ending within 180 days without triggering benefit eligibility.

Topics ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentDenies unemployment benefits for workers leaving fixed-term contracts, restricting access to a core worker benefit under unemployment compensation.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Unemployment

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 28, 2025

HSB 169: A bill for an act prohibiting the consideration of the deployment, implementation, or use of a motor carrier safety improvement when determining a person’s employment status.

This bill prohibits Iowa employers (specifically motor carriers like trucking companies) from using the deployment, implementation, or use of safety-related tools or practices as a factor when determining whether a worker is an employee, independent contractor, or jointly employed. It defines "motor carrier safety improvement" broadly to include devices, software, training, policies, or procedures designed to improve traffic safety compliance. The law explicitly blocks state agencies and courts from considering these safety measures in employment classification decisions under Iowa state law. This change directly affects how motor carriers classify their drivers and support staff for labor and tax purposes.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentPrevents motor carriers from misclassifying workers as independent contractors using safety tools, protecting employee rights and benefits under labor/employment law.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 28, 2025

HF 674: A bill for an act providing paid leave to state employees for volunteer activities.

HF 674 would allow Iowa state employees to take up to 16 hours of paid leave each year for volunteer activities without losing seniority, regular pay, benefits like health coverage, or accrued leave time. Employees would be paid at their regular hourly rate for the time taken off, and the leave would not count as state employment for workers' compensation or tort claims purposes. The bill directly affects all state employees in Iowa who wish to volunteer during work hours. It creates a specific policy change to support employee community involvement through structured paid leave. The bill was introduced on February 28, 2025, and referred to the Labor and Workforce committee.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands paid leave benefits for state employees, enhancing workplace flexibility and worker welfare without reducing existing protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Paid Leave Public Employees

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 28, 2025

HF 661: A bill for an act relating to child care, including the child and dependent care tax credit, a child care workforce matching grant program, a small business child care tax credit, and state child care assistance, and including applicability provisions.

HF 661 creates a comprehensive child care package in Iowa. It expands the state's child and dependent care tax credit to match the federal credit amount (retroactive to 2025), establishes a state grant program to raise wages and provide health insurance/benefits for child care workers, and introduces a new small business tax credit for employers offering on-site or nearby child care (capping at $3,000 per employee annually, with a total $2 million annual limit). The bill also adjusts state child care assistance eligibility, raising required work hours for parents and increasing income thresholds to 265% (basic care) and 290% (special needs) of the federal poverty level, while requiring state reimbursement rates to match private-pay rates. These changes directly affect child care workers, small employers providing child care benefits, and low-income families seeking state assistance.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExpands tax credits for families (matching federal) and small businesses, funds child care workforce through grants, aligning with tax relief and public service funding indicators.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly provides health insurance benefits for child care workers via state grant program, expanding coverage for a workforce segment.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEstablishes state grant program to raise wages and provide health benefits for child care workers, directly advancing worker compensation and benefits.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Tax Credits

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 28, 2025

HF 673: A bill for an act requiring certain weekly workers’ compensation benefits to be calculated by including an employee’s overtime and premium pay, and to include an annual cost-of-living adjustment.

This bill changes how Iowa calculates weekly workers' compensation benefits for injured workers. It requires benefits to include overtime and premium pay in the calculation (previously excluded), and adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment based on Social Security's adjustment. These changes apply specifically to injured workers who earned overtime or premium pay before their injury. The law modifies existing calculation methods in Iowa Code §85.36 to ensure benefits reflect their actual pre-injury earnings and adjust for inflation.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncludes overtime/premium pay in compensation calculations (previously excluded) and adds annual COLA, expanding benefits for injured workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Workers' Compensation

Track