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COMMITTEE ACTION:
SF 573 – Meeting requirements for time deposit funds committee
SF 573 changes the frequency of meetings from monthly to quarterly for a committee composed of the superintendent of banking, the superintendent of credit unions, the auditor of state and the treasurer of state to establish the minimum rate to be earned on state funds placed in time deposits. There hasn’t been a regular meeting in person but a meeting by email every month. Rates are posted on the State Treasure’s website.
[2/10: Short form (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 2060 – Mandatory abuse reporting requirements for massage therapists
SF 2060 adds licensed massage therapists to the list of mandatory reporters for child and dependent adult abuse. The bill also specifies that the mandatory abuse reporter training is eligible for the calculation of continuing education requirements for the massage therapist.
[2/10: Short form (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 2119 – Exempting the practice of threading from licensure requirements
SF 2119 would exempt the practice of threading from the licensure requirements under the Board of Cosmetology. Threading is defined as the removal of hairs from the eyebrows, upper lip or other body parts by the use of thread. This practice may also involve the use of astringents, gels, powders, tweezers and scissors that are incidental to the use of thread.
Currently, certain processes for removing hair from the body fall under the scope of an aesthetician, which is a licensed profession under the Board of Cosmetology. That license requires a number of hours of education to meet the standards for licensure and practice in that profession. The practice of threading is not taught at any cosmetology schools in Iowa, and this practice does not involve many of the other practices that are conducted by a licensed aesthetician.
[2/10: Short form (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SJR 2004 – Article V Convention of the States to amend the Constitution
SJR 2004 would add Iowa to a list of states calling for an Article V constitutional convention to propose amendments to the Constitution regarding term limits for federal office, fiscal restraints on the federal government and limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government. The resolution prohibits any Iowa electors from supporting amendments of any other type at the convention of the states.
Article V of the United State Constitution provides for the process by which amendments to the Constitution can be amended. Under this scenario, two-thirds of the states can apply to Congress to establish a Constitutional Convention, at which point Congress must call a convention. Amendments approved by the convention must still be ratified by the states. Amendments are only adopted to the Constitution upon approval by three-fourths of the states.
The committee adopted an amendment to language that would have limited the amendments that Iowa electors could have supported at an Article V constitutional convention to only the three outlined in the resolution. The current language prohibits Iowa electors assigned to the convention from supporting any other amendment that may be debated at the convention.
[2/10: 8-5, Party-line (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 2263 – Senate confirmation requirements for certain governor appointees
SF 2263 would remove many boards and commissions from the list of governor’s appointees that are subject to confirmation by the Senate. The bill also provides that appointees who are not subject to confirmation by the Senate can be made subject to confirmation upon a signed request by at least 26 senators.
The list of appointees removed from the Senate confirmation process under the bill includes:
- Agricultural Development Board
- Iowa Public Information Board
- Commission of Veterans Affairs
- Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council
- Drug Policy Advisory Council
- Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Commission
- Iowa state Civil Rights Commission
- Commission of Latino Affairs
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Commission of Persons with Disabilities
- Commission of Community Action Agencies
- Commission of Deaf Services
- Commission on the Status of African Americans
- Commission of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs
- Commission of Native American Affairs
- Commission for the Blind
- Council on Human Services
- Mental Health and Disability Services Commission
- Children’s Behavioral Health System State Board
- Commission on Aging
- Child Advocacy Board
- Iowa Autism Council
- Early Childhood State Iowa Board
- School Budget Review Committee
- County Finance Committee
- City Development Board
- Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (Hawk-i) board
- Commission on Judicial Qualifications
- Board of Corrections
[2/10: 8-5, Party-line (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 2265 – Restrictions regarding companies that boycott Israel
SF 2265 would change the state’s existing law regarding companies that boycott Israel. Under the bill, a company subject the restrictions would be a wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, parent company, or affiliate of such business or business entity, rather than any business entity as a whole.
Under current law, public investment funds in the state of Iowa are prohibited from investing in publicly traded companies that are boycotting Israel. If a company is found to be involved in a boycott of Israel, the public fund must divest its holding in that company.
[2/10: Short form (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 2266 – Compensation and benefits limits for retirees under IPERS
SF 2266 would raise the annual compensation limit for retirees in covered professions under the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS). The annual compensation limit would be raised from $30,000 to $50,000. This income level was last raised 25 years ago. This proposal was developed by the IPERS Benefits Advisory Council (BAC), which includes representatives from employees and employers.
Current law limits the annual compensation of a bonified retiree under the system before their compensation results in a reduction of their IPERS benefits. Compensation that exceeds the set amount reduces IPERS benefits by $1 for every $2 above the set limit. The bill does not make changes to the four-month waiting period an individual must remain out of employment before they can be considered a bonified retiree under the IPERS system.
The bill also increases the compensation and contract limits that a school board member can receive from the school district in which they serve. The current level is $6,000; the bill raises the level to $20,000.
The committee adopted an amendment to provide an immediate effective date for the changes included in the bill.
[2/10: Short form (Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 2274 – Records of the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board
SSB 3028 would make the records and all relevant media held by the Public Broadcasting Board public records under Chapter 22, the state’s open records law. The bill also prohibits the board from enforcing a copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right more than 10 years after the record was originally created.
The committee adopted a strike-after amendment that significantly changes the bill. It is based on language that limits the board from enforcing a copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right only to “requests that specify an educational, historical or cultural purpose” and specifies that such records cannot be released for an endorsement, political purpose or to generate a profit.
[2/10: 9-4 (Yes: Republicans, Bisignano; Excused: Dawson, Johnson)]
SF 480 – Cost for review/copy of public records
SF 480 adds the qualifier of “reasonable” to current code regarding the cost or expense to examine or copy public records. The bill also prohibits a fee being charged for supervising the examination or copying public records or for legal services for the redaction or review of the public records. The redacting of files before public review is usually the costliest part of responding to an open records request.
The committee adopted a strike-after amendment to the bill that provides qualifications to the scope of the bill. The amendment says that reasonable effort should be made by records custodians to provide records at no cost, other than copying costs, if the record takes less than 30 minutes total to produce. Additionally, the amendment provides that a custodian’s determination of what constitutes “reasonable costs” can be contested according to the standards of Chapter 22. Finally, the amendment says that fees for redaction can only be allowed when the redaction or review of legally protected confidential information.
[2/16: Short form (Excused: Giddens)]
SSB 3114 – Submission of official transcripts or diplomas to professional licensure boards
SSB 3114 prohibits a professional licensing board, other than the Board of Nursing and the Board of Medicine, from requiring an applicant to submit an official transcript or an official diploma in connection with an application for a license, registration or certificate, or a renewal of such. The bill requires the relevant boards to accept copies of these records.
SSB 3114 also prohibits a professional licensing board, other than the Board of Nursing and the Board of Medicine, from requiring the applicant to supply a transcript or diploma for a license, registration or certificate, or a renewal of such, if the institution that granted the transcript or diploma is no longer in operation.
The committee adopted an amendment to strike the language of the bill regarding the renewal of licenses, registrations and certificates.
[2/16: 12-2 (No: Celsi, Jochum; Excused: Giddens)]
SF 2093 – Accommodations in housing for disability related service animals
SF 2093 attempts to align Iowa’s standards for the certification of service animals and assistance animals related to disabilities when it comes to housing accommodations. The intent is to allow for genuine service and assistance animal accommodations in housing agreements without allowing abuse of the practice to circumvent housing restrictions on pet ownership.
During the subcommittee, a number of issues were raised about potential conflicts with the Fair Housing Act and federal guidance on the issues of the rights of persons with disabilities that should be addressed before the bill is enacted.
[2/16: Short form (Excused: Giddens)]
SSB 3115 – Real estate teams and brokerage notification requirements
SSB 3115 would provide a standard definition for “real estate teams,” which are becoming a more common practice in real estate brokerage. Teams would be defined as two or more licensees assigned to the same broker who work together to provide real estate brokerage services and represent themselves as a team.
The bill also includes a requirement that an individual licensee or real estate team conspicuously identify the brokerage name in public information on brokerage listings. This provides transparency for the point of contact on a real estate brokerage listing.
The committee adopted an amendment to address a number of drafting issues with the original bill. The bill also provides a delayed effective date for the provision dealing with displays of information to allow more time for licensees or real estate teams to come into compliance.
[2/16: Short form (Excused: Giddens)]
SF 2239 – High school event admission fees for people 18 and younger
SF 2239 would prohibit a school district from charging admission to an extracurricular event for people 18 and younger. The extracurricular events include those associated with state organizations including the Iowa High School Athletic Association, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, Iowa High School Music Association and the Iowa High School Speech Association. This does not apply to post-season or all-state contests or competitions organized by those organizations.
The bill also provides that local school districts be reimbursed for revenues lost from the admissions exemption for people 18 and younger. The funds to reimburse the local school districts will come from the sports wagering receipts fund.
The committee adopted an amendment to fix an issue in the bill regarding the deposit of funds to reimburse local school districts. The bill currently says that the funds shall be deposited into the district’s general fund. However, school district admission fees are deposited into the district’s student activities fund to pay for expenses associated with those activities. The amendment corrects that issue so that reimbursements from the state under the bill will go into the student activity fund, not the district general fund. Other changes in the amendment are technical.
[2/16: 13-1 (No: Goodwin; Excused: Giddens)]