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House
File
48
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
48
BY
GUSTOFF
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
prohibiting
employer
control
of
employee
political
1
candidacy
and
contributions,
and
making
penalties
2
applicable.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
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48
Section
1.
Section
55.4,
subsection
1,
Code
2025,
is
amended
1
to
read
as
follows:
2
1.
Any
public
employee
who
becomes
a
candidate
for
any
3
elective
public
office
shall,
upon
request
of
the
employee
and
4
commencing
any
time
within
thirty
days
prior
to
a
contested
5
primary,
special,
or
general
election
and
continuing
until
6
after
the
day
following
that
election,
automatically
be
7
given
a
period
of
leave.
If
the
employee
is
under
chapter
8
8A,
subchapter
IV
,
the
An
employee
may
choose
to
use
accrued
9
vacation
leave,
accrued
compensatory
leave,
or
leave
without
10
pay
to
cover
these
periods.
The
appointing
authority
or
11
employer
may
authorize
other
employees
to
use
accrued
vacation
12
leave
or
accrued
compensatory
leave
instead
of
leave
without
13
pay
to
cover
these
periods.
An
employee
who
is
a
candidate
for
14
any
elective
public
office
shall
not
campaign
while
on
duty
as
15
an
employee.
16
Sec.
2.
Section
55.4,
Code
2025,
is
amended
by
adding
the
17
following
new
subsection:
18
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
1A.
An
appointing
authority
or
employer
19
shall
not
take
any
adverse
action
against
an
employee
for
20
seeking
election
to
any
public
office
or
prohibit
an
employee
21
from
seeking
election
to
a
public
office
in
the
event
the
22
employee
informs
the
appointing
authority
or
employer
that
the
23
employee
intends
to
seek
such
election.
24
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
68A.507
Employer
control
of
employee
25
contributions
prohibited.
26
An
employer
employing
persons
in
Iowa
shall
not
do
any
of
the
27
following:
28
1.
Prohibit
an
employee
from
making
a
contribution
to
a
29
committee.
30
2.
Require
an
employee
to
receive
approval
prior
to
making
31
a
contribution
to
a
committee.
32
3.
Limit
the
amount
of
any
contribution
an
employee
makes
33
to
a
committee.
34
4.
Take
any
adverse
action
against
an
employee
for
an
35
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48
employee’s
contributing
to
or
failing
to
contribute
to
a
1
committee.
2
EXPLANATION
3
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
4
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
5
This
bill
requires
any
appointing
authority
or
employer
6
to,
upon
request,
grant
an
employee
who
is
a
candidate
for
an
7
elective
public
office
leave
commencing
any
time
within
30
days
8
before
an
election.
Current
law
requires
a
public
employer
to
9
grant
a
public
employee
such
leave
requests.
The
bill
also
10
prohibits
an
appointing
authority
or
employer
from
taking
11
adverse
actions
against
an
employee
for
seeking
election
to
12
a
public
office
or
from
prohibiting
an
employee
from
seeking
13
election
to
a
public
office,
in
the
event
the
employee
informs
14
the
appointing
authority
or
employer
that
the
employee
intends
15
to
seek
election
to
a
public
office.
By
operation
of
law,
a
16
person
who
violates
these
provisions
of
the
bill
is
guilty
of
17
a
simple
misdemeanor
for
each
day
of
the
offense.
A
simple
18
misdemeanor
is
punishable
by
confinement
for
no
more
than
30
19
days
or
a
fine
of
at
least
$105
but
not
more
than
$855
or
by
20
both.
21
The
bill
also
prohibits
an
employer
who
employs
people
22
in
Iowa
from
prohibiting,
limiting,
or
requiring
approval
23
for
the
contributions
of
employees
to
political
committees
24
or
candidates’
committees.
By
operation
of
law,
a
person
25
who
violates
this
provision
of
the
bill
is
guilty
of
a
26
serious
misdemeanor.
A
serious
misdemeanor
is
punishable
by
27
confinement
for
no
more
than
one
year
and
a
fine
of
at
least
28
$430
but
not
more
than
$2,560.
29
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