HB 652 protects confidential communications between public safety officers (including police, firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers, and correctional staff) and peer support counselors during crisis or wellness sessions. It prohibits counselors from disclosing these communications in disciplinary proceedings, administrative investigations, or legal cases, except when the communication involves a crime plan, an explicit threat of harm, or mandatory reporting requirements like child abuse. The bill explicitly states such communications cannot be used as evidence in fitness-for-duty evaluations or formal investigations. This law aims to encourage open dialogue about mental health by ensuring confidentiality for officers seeking peer support.
HF 2384 increases Iowa's maximum unemployment benefits for eligible workers. It raises the cap from 16 to 26 times a worker's weekly benefit amount during a benefit year. For workers laid off due to an employer's business closure, it increases the cap from 26 to 39 times the weekly benefit amount. This change directly affects unemployed Iowans who qualify for benefits, ensuring they receive more total support under these specific circumstances. The bill modifies how benefit limits are calculated based on prior earnings.
SF 2169 clarifies Iowa's apprenticeship program structure by defining key terms like "intermediary sponsor" (an entity training multiple employers' apprentices) and requiring 100 contact hours per apprentice annually for financial aid eligibility. It grants intermediaries sole authority to approve employer partners and establishes 60-90 day compliance periods before program cancellations or suspensions. The bill also updates plumbing licensing rules to limit apprentices to three per licensed worker. These changes directly affect apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and intermediaries operating programs in Iowa.
This bill (SF 2400) strengthens penalties for assaults against specific public safety and service workers in Iowa. It adds "employee or contractor of a public utility engaged in public utility responsibilities" to the list of protected occupations, expanding existing assault penalty tiers. Assaults causing injury or using weapons against these workers become class C felonies, while assaults involving spitting or saliva contact are classified as aggravated misdemeanors requiring a minimum 7-day jail term. The bill directly affects public utility employees and contractors, as well as other covered professions like police, firefighters, and healthcare workers, by increasing legal consequences for violence against them.
HF 2264 sets a minimum hourly wage of $15.20 for home health aides working under Iowa's Medicaid program, effective July 1, 2026. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to adjust Medicaid reimbursement rates for home health agencies to ensure this minimum wage is met. It also appropriates state general funds to cover the cost of these higher reimbursements for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. This directly affects home health aides providing Medicaid-covered services and home and community-based waiver services in Iowa.
HF 2631 establishes Iowa's Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, creating a paid, job-protected leave system for eligible employees. It directly affects workers at covered employers (private businesses with 10+ employees year-round or public employers) who need leave for bonding with a newborn/adopted child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, taking medical leave for their own serious health issue, or addressing qualifying circumstances as a crime victim (e.g., seeking medical care, legal assistance, or safety measures). The program is funded through employee premiums, with benefits calculated based on spendable weekly earnings, and is administered by the Department of Workforce Development. This legislation expands on existing federal protections by adding specific coverage for crime victim-related leave and standardizing definitions for eligibility and benefits.
HF 2266 would require Iowa employers to provide family medical leave to grandparents for specific family care needs related to their grandchildren, including the birth of a grandchild, caring for a grandchild with a serious health condition, and addressing military-related exigencies involving a grandchild. The bill modifies the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to extend these leave rights to grandparents, defining "employee" and "employer" as in federal law. Enforcement would be handled by the state department of inspections, appeals, and licensing using existing state procedures under Chapter 91A. This legislation directly affects Iowa grandparents who are employees and their employers by adding these specific leave protections to state law.
This bill requires Iowa employers with 10 or more full-time employees to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to workers whose child is hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The leave must be paid at the employee's regular hourly rate or salary, including all benefits like health insurance. Employers who fail to comply face penalties, including back pay and legal costs, with enforcement handled by the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. It directly affects Iowa workers with newborns in NICU care and their employers.
This bill, the "Iowa Skilled Workforce Act," updates Iowa's apprenticeship framework to support career training. It creates clear definitions for "intermediary sponsors" (entities training multiple employers) and clarifies that partner employers (those using intermediaries) must follow the intermediary's standards. The bill also adds financial assistance for apprenticeship programs meeting a minimum of 100 training hours per apprentice annually and updates plumbing/mechanics licensing rules to allow up to three apprentices per licensed supervisor. It directly affects apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and training programs across Iowa.
HF 2675 establishes specific procedural rights for Iowa peace officers, firefighters, EMTs, corrections staff, and other public safety personnel during formal investigations into complaints. The bill requires agencies to provide officers with a written summary of complaints before interviews, access to relevant incident reports and evidence without delay, and audio recording of all interviews. It guarantees officers the right to have legal counsel or union representatives present during investigations and disciplinary proceedings, while protecting confidential communications between officers and their representatives. The bill also prohibits using interview responses against officers in criminal cases and mandates that disciplinary decisions include providing full investigative reports upon request. This applies directly to all certified public safety personnel employed by Iowa municipalities, counties, or state agencies.
