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HF686 • 2026

A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.

A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
CROKEN
Last action
2025-02-28
Official status
Introduced, referred to State Government. H.J. 479 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.

A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-28 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to State Government. H.J. 479 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

686

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

686

BY

CROKEN

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

providing

for

paid

medical

leave

and

providing

penalties

1

and

remedies.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

TLSB

1247YH

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91

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H.F.

686

Section

1.

Section

10A.202,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

1

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

2.

The

department

is

responsible

for

the

administration

of

3

the

laws

of

this

state

under

chapters

88A

,

88B

,

89

,

89A

,

90A

,

4

91A

,

91C

,

91D

,

91E

,

91F,

and

92

,

and

such

other

labor-services

5

duties

assigned

to

the

department

or

director.

6

Sec.

2.

Section

10A.204,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

amended

7

to

read

as

follows:

8

3.

The

director,

in

consultation

with

the

labor

9

commissioner,

shall,

at

the

time

provided

by

law,

make

an

10

annual

report

to

the

governor

setting

forth

in

appropriate

11

form

the

business

and

expense

of

the

division

and

department

12

under

this

subchapter

for

the

preceding

year,

the

number

13

of

remedial

actions

taken

under

chapter

89A

,

the

number

of

14

disputes

or

violations

processed

by

the

division

or

department

15

and

the

disposition

of

the

disputes

or

violations,

and

other

16

matters

pertaining

to

the

division

or

department

under

this

17

subchapter

which

that

are

of

public

interest,

together

with

18

recommendations

for

change

or

amendment

of

the

laws

in

this

19

chapter

and

chapters

88

,

88A

,

88B

,

89

,

89A

,

89B

,

90A

,

91A

,

91C

,

20

91D

,

91E

,

91F,

and

92

,

and

sections

85.67A

and

85.68

,

and

the

21

recommendations,

if

any,

shall

be

transmitted

by

the

governor

22

to

the

first

general

assembly

in

session

after

the

report

is

23

filed.

24

Sec.

3.

NEW

SECTION

.

91F.1

Definitions.

25

As

used

in

this

chapter,

unless

the

context

otherwise

26

requires:

27

1.

“Child”

means

a

biological,

adopted,

or

foster

child,

28

a

stepchild,

a

legal

ward,

or

a

child

of

a

person

standing

in

29

loco

parentis,

regardless

of

the

child’s

age

or

dependency

30

status.

31

2.

“Director”

means

the

director

of

the

department

of

32

inspections,

appeals,

and

licensing.

33

3.

“Employee”

means

a

natural

person

employed

for

wages

by

34

an

employer

in

this

state.

35

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686

4.

“Employer”

means

a

person

that

employs

for

wages

in

this

1

state.

2

5.

“Health

care

provider”

means

a

physician

or

other

health

3

care

practitioner

licensed

in

this

or

another

state.

4

6.

“Health

condition”

means

an

illness,

injury,

impairment,

5

physical

condition,

or

mental

condition

that

requires

6

diagnosis,

treatment,

or

care

by

a

health

care

provider.

7

7.

“Medical

leave”

means

a

leave

from

work

taken

by

an

8

employee

made

necessary

by

a

health

condition

of

the

employee

9

or

a

child,

parent,

or

spouse

of

the

employee.

10

8.

“Parent”

means

a

biological,

adoptive,

step,

or

foster

11

father

or

mother,

or

any

other

individual

who

stands

in

loco

12

parentis

to

an

employee

or

who

stood

in

loco

parentis

when

the

13

employee

was

a

child.

14

Sec.

4.

NEW

SECTION

.

91F.2

Paid

medical

leave.

15

1.

An

employer

shall

provide

an

employee

at

least

ten

days

16

of

paid

medical

leave

per

calendar

year.

17

2.

Payment

for

such

leave

shall

be

equal

to

the

earnings

18

the

employee

would

otherwise

have

received

but

for

taking

such

19

leave,

calculated

based

on

the

length

of

the

pay

period

in

20

which

the

employee

is

ordinarily

compensated.

21

3.

If

the

employee’s

earnings

vary

from

pay

period

to

22

pay

period,

the

payment

shall

be

based

on

an

average

of

the

23

employee’s

earnings

in

the

three

pay

periods

preceding

such

24

leave.

If

the

employee’s

earnings

are

not

paid

on

a

periodic

25

basis,

the

payment

shall

be

based

on

the

average

earnings

the

26

employee

received

in

the

previous

three

months.

27

Sec.

5.

NEW

SECTION

.

91F.3

Employer

rights.

28

1.

An

employer

may

require

advance

notice

of

leave

taken

29

under

section

91F.2

when

taking

such

leave

is

reasonably

30

foreseeable.

31

2.

An

employer

may

require

an

employee

to

provide

written

32

documentation

from

a

health

care

provider,

consistent

with

33

applicable

state

and

federal

privacy

laws,

within

one

week

of

34

an

employee

returning

from

leave

under

section

91F.2,

that

such

35

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H.F.

686

leave

was

taken

due

to

a

health

condition.

1

Sec.

6.

NEW

SECTION

.

91F.4

Enforcement

——

rules.

2

1.

The

director

shall

enforce

this

chapter.

This

chapter

3

shall

be

enforced

pursuant

to

chapter

91A.

4

2.

The

director

shall

adopt

rules

pursuant

to

chapter

5

17A

to

administer

this

chapter.

Such

rules

may

establish

6

additional

procedures,

requirements,

and

definitions

necessary

7

to

implement

this

chapter.

8

EXPLANATION

9

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

10

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

11

This

bill

requires

an

employer

to

provide

an

employee

at

12

least

10

days

of

paid

medical

leave

per

calendar

year.

13

The

bill

defines

“medical

leave”

as

a

leave

from

work

14

taken

by

an

employee

made

necessary

by

a

health

condition

of

15

the

employee

or

a

child,

parent,

or

spouse

of

the

employee.

16

The

bill

defines

“health

condition”

as

an

illness,

injury,

17

impairment,

physical

condition,

or

mental

condition

that

18

requires

diagnosis,

treatment,

or

care

by

a

health

care

19

provider.

20

The

bill

provides

that

payment

for

medical

leave

shall

21

be

equal

to

the

earnings

the

employee

would

otherwise

have

22

received

but

for

taking

such

leave,

calculated

based

on

the

23

length

of

the

pay

period

in

which

the

employee

is

ordinarily

24

compensated.

The

bill

provides

for

other

methods

of

25

calculating

earnings

applicable

to

certain

employees.

26

The

bill

authorizes

an

employer

to

require

advance

notice

of

27

medical

leave

when

taking

such

leave

is

reasonably

foreseeable.

28

The

bill

authorizes

an

employer

to

require

an

employee

to

29

provide

written

documentation

from

a

health

care

provider,

30

consistent

with

applicable

state

and

federal

privacy

laws,

31

within

one

week

of

an

employee

returning

from

medical

leave,

32

that

such

leave

was

taken

due

to

a

health

condition.

33

The

bill

is

enforced

by

the

director

of

the

department

of

34

inspections,

appeals,

and

licensing.

The

bill

is

enforced

35

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H.F.

686

pursuant

to

Code

chapter

91A,

which

provides

for

civil

remedies

1

and

penalties.

2

The

bill

requires

the

director

to

adopt

administrative

3

rules

to

administer

the

bill,

which

may

establish

additional

4

procedures,

requirements,

and

definitions

necessary

to

5

implement

the

bill.

6

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