Amended adoption language in standings

May 14, 2015

The Iowa Senate’s version of the standings appropriation bill includes language related to adopting parents. The bill states if an employee chooses to adopt they must be treated in the same manner as an employee who is the biological parent of a newborn for purposes of employment policies, benefits and protections. This language is much different than the initial version of the bill, which placed the legislation in the pregnancy disability section of the Iowa Civil Rights Code. The bill also includes language related to the state’s STEM internships and Entrepreneur Investment Awards Program. The bill, including the explanation, is currently 122 pages long, which is it is considered a catch-all piece of legislation.