Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Governor Culver Signs Legislation Aimed At Protecting Iowa Workers
DES MOINES – Today, Governor Chet Culver signed two bills aimed at protecting workers on the job and making it easier for Iowa workers to receive late payment of wages.
SF 2303 protects workers who have been injured on the job by making it easier for them to be hired after an injury. SF 2222 allows workers to choose direct deposit for late payment of wages.
“Iowa workers are the backbone of our economy,” said Governor Culver. “Our Administration is committed to protecting our workers who are injured on the job and ensuring they are paid for their work in a timely fashion.”
Senate File 2303: SF 2303 continues the Workers' Compensation surcharge on insurance providers which would otherwise expire July 1, 2008. It also makes it possible to close out the indemnity portion of a claim paid by workers' compensation when benefits expire and still leave the medical file on the claim open so that reasonable services and supplies continue to be paid for by the employer under 85.27 (1). Both these changes are recommendations of the workers compensation advisory committee, which reaches decisions on consensus among representatives of insurance companies, labor, employers, claimants' attorneys and defense attorneys.
Senate File 2222: SF 2222 changes Iowa Code so that sending paychecks by mail is only an option if the employee requests this in writing. It also makes the employer liable for overdrafts which are the result of late payment of wages regardless of the method of payment, where currently this protection only applies to cases of direct deposit of paychecks.
In addition to these two bills, Governor Culver signed the following legislation into law. To date, the Governor has signed 29 bills into law since the end of the legislative session.
ADDITIONAL BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW TODAY:
Senate Joint Resolution 2003:
This bill enacts a temporary law allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the state capitol complex grounds in conjunction with the Hy-Vee BG World Cup Triathlon. The triathlon is expected to draw 30,000 people and ends at the State Capitol. A similar joint resolution was signed last year.
Senate Joint Resolution 2005:
This bill enacts a temporary law allowing the consumption of wine in the state capitol for the World Food Prize. A form of this legislation is passed every session.
House File 2558:
- This bill allows for the protection of proprietary and highly sensitive business and financial information that may not meet the definition of "trade secrets.”
- This information could prove damaging if obtained by competitors and should not be available to them simply because a company must disclose the information to the Department of Economic Development when applying for financial assistance.
- Examples of business information intended to be covered:
- Sales and marketing strategies
- Financial information of closely- held companies
- Concepts or ideas that are not yet the subject of a patent application
- Terms of contractual arrangements a business has that are not known to competitors
- Business expansion plans
- Targeted markets or customers
- Proprietary and confidential business information that may not be otherwise protected from public disclosure under Iowa law
- It also allows Iowa to remain competitive with other states by creating a favorable environment for business activity.
- The public would continue to have timely access to non-confidential information after a final funding decision is made.
House File 2197:
HF 2197 recommends institutions of higher learning provide students with specific textbook information, such as specific textbook numbers, so that students have the ability to comparison shop.
House File 2526:
This is a non-controversial bill that cleans up a code section related to school districts’ ability to dispose of school property.
House File 2601:
This bill is the agreed to language from all state agencies involved in the Missouri River Authority. This legislation differs from the vetoed bill last year in that the voting requirement for action only requires a majority, not consensus.
House File 2266:
This is a non-controversial bill that was pre-filed by the Department of Public Safety. Numerous circumstances have been encountered by Special Agents within the DPS State Fire Marshal Division in which a person possesses an incendiary or explosive device, but it is not possible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person intended to commit a public offense. The most common example is possession of a homemade explosive device, such as a pipe bomb. Due to the difficulty in proving intent to commit a public offense, DPS recommended creating a lesser offense (aggravated misdemeanor) for possession of an incendiary or explosive device (without intent to commit a public offense). The higher “C Felony” charge would still be available in circumstances where intent to commit a public offense can be proved. This bill also makes technical corrections to the definition of “explosive.”
House File 2628:
This is a non-controversial bill that is primarily intended to increase awareness that a stun gun is considered a dangerous weapon under Iowa law by specifically listing a stun gun as a dangerous weapon.
Senate File 2337:
This is a non-controversial bill that allows the Association of Iowa Fairs the ability to purchase liability insurance under a purchasing group on behalf of all eligible fairs. This will result in a reduction in premiums paid by fairs under the association.
Senate File 2429:
This is a non-controversial bill that enables a city to submit a budget for a past fiscal year and receive funds held in penalty for noncompliance.
Senate File 2413:
This bill makes small changes to school budget review deadlines that will work better for school districts and allow for better budgeting practices.
Senate File 2203:
This bill increases the penalty for participation in a dog fight to a Class D felony.
Senate File 2321:
This legislation is one in a series of bills aimed at recycling items that if not recycled or recycled properly would have a hazardous impact on the environment.
Senate File 2348:
This is an update of cooperative regulation in Iowa Code put forward by the Iowa Institute of Cooperatives.
Senate File 2422:
This is the clean-up bill put forward by the Office of Energy Independence to address the administrative and technical assistance needs of the office. It also provides confidentiality protection for applicants who had concerns over potential exposure of proprietary data.
Senate File 2341:
Senate File 2341 directs the Departments of Public Health and Elder Affairs to carry out duties regarding Alzheimer’s disease. Duties include a determination of current services available and future service needs, and the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The Department of Elder Affairs is directed to review trends and initiatives, expand and improve training of workers who care for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Senate File 2419:
Senate File 2419 allows the shell building property tax exemption to begin in the year after the assessment year if the reconstruction involves complete replacement or refitting of an existing building.