Funnel Week Concludes With ABI Priorities Advancing

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Did Not Advance

SF 492/HF 754 - Unemployment insurance tax reform- Reinstates a one-week waiting period for benefits, narrows and strengthens the integrity of dependents payments, enhances suitable work requirements, eliminates plant closing wage credits and extended benefits weeks and adds pertinent definitions to the code. 

ABI position: For

SF 555 - Prohibition of vaccine mandates- Mandates that employers cannot refuse to hire, discharge, penalize or otherwise discriminate against an employee based on their vaccine history or the employee’s refusal to receive a vaccine. The legislation flies directly in the face of Iowa’s status of being an at-will state. The bill passed the Senate Labor Committee, but wasn’t brought to the floor.

ABI position: Against

SF 361/HF 748 - Drug and alcohol testing reform- Flips the burden of proof from the employer to the plaintiff to prove allegations the employer violated the drug or alcohol testing code section. It modernizes communication methods between employers and employees regarding the exchange of drug or alcohol testing results. It also ensures that employers are able to declare which job is a safety sensitive position.

ABI position: For

SF 339 - E-verify- Requires that all employers regardless of size utilize the federal E-verify system here in Iowa. A second violation of the bill would mean a revocation of all business licenses at the particular entity where the alleged violation occurred. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, but wasn’t brought to the floor.  

ABI position: Against

SF 390/HF 848 - Incentives for broadband deployment- Incentivizes private industry to facilitate the expansion of high-speed broadband in targeted service areas. 

ABI position: For

SF 496 - Prohibition of low-wage noncompetes- Prohibits employers from using non-competes with low-wage employees. Low-wage employee is defined as someone who makes $14.50 an hour or less. ABI has been successful in helping narrow the scope of this bill as there was other legislation that was far more expansive than SF 496. The bill did pass the Senate, but did not advance in the House. 

ABI position: Undecided

HF 582/SF 295 - Housing omnibus- Doubles the workforce housing tax credit program, creates a new tax credit program for developers, eliminates a monetary cap on local housing trust funds, and more.

ABI position: For

HF 729 - Pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies- Removes many of the cost controls from current practice and shifts costs between parties making health plans more expensive to offer for employers. The bill passed the House Commerce Committee, but wasn’t brought to the floor.

ABI position: Against

HF 302 - Child care cliff effect - Establishes a 12-month phase out of eligibility for childcare assistance after the gross income of the family has hit certain percentages relative to the federal poverty line.

ABI position: Undecided

HF 294 - Telehealth 100% parity- Requires that health carriers reimburse providers at the same rate for telehealth visits that they would charge for in-person visits. The bill passed the House, but didn’t advance in the Senate.

ABI position: Monitoring

HF 592/SF 557 - Medical malpractice tort reform- Caps noneconomic damages for medical malpractice cases at $1 million.

ABI position: For

SF 485 - Pregnancy accommodations- Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees who are pregnant or have a medical condition related to pregnancy. The bill passed the Senate Labor Committee, but wasn’t brought to the floor. 

ABI position: Against

SF 567 - Disclosure requirements- Exempts licensed and registered mortgage bankers from particular disclosures related to qualified mortgages if the points and fees charged to the borrower remain under a certain federal threshold.

ABI position: For

HF 789 - Manufacturing 4.0- Creates a Manufacturing 4.0 technology investment program that allows eligible manufacturers to apply for grants or loans to invest in smart technologies. It also includes first-year depreciation for companies who invest in the transition to a smart technology environment.

ABI position: For

SF 537/HF 772 - Motor truck tort reform- Limits the liability of employers in the motor truck industry in multiple ways including limiting non-economic damages.

ABI position: For

SF 362/HF 724 - Adoption mandate- Requires employers to treat employees who adopt a child in the same manner as they would biological parents of newborns concerning employment policies, benefits and protections for the first year. The House amended their bill to cover children from ages 6-0 while the Senate bill covers children 18-0.

ABI position: Undecided