Bill Text: IA SF400 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to disclosures of certain information, including reprisals with respect to employees of a political subdivision of the state and providing information to employees concerning the office of ombudsman. (See SF 502.)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-06 - Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 502. S.J. 491. [SF400 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-SF400-Introduced.html
Senate
File
400
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
400
BY
SCHNEIDER
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
disclosures
of
certain
information,
1
including
reprisals
with
respect
to
employees
of
a
political
2
subdivision
of
the
state
and
providing
information
to
3
employees
concerning
the
office
of
ombudsman.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
5
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S.F.
400
Section
1.
Section
70A.29,
subsection
1,
Code
2019,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
1.
A
person
shall
not
discharge
an
employee
from
or
take
3
or
fail
to
take
action
regarding
an
employee’s
appointment
or
4
proposed
appointment
to,
promotion
or
proposed
promotion
to,
5
or
any
advantage
in,
a
position
in
employment
by
a
political
6
subdivision
of
this
state
as
a
reprisal
for
a
disclosure
of
any
7
information
by
that
employee
to
a
member
or
employee
of
the
8
general
assembly,
or
an
official
of
that
political
subdivision
,
9
a
person
providing
human
resource
management
for
that
political
10
subdivision,
or
a
state
official
,
or
for
a
disclosure
of
11
information
to
any
other
public
official
or
law
enforcement
12
agency
if
the
employee
reasonably
believes
the
information
13
evidences
a
violation
of
law
or
rule,
mismanagement,
a
gross
14
abuse
of
funds,
an
abuse
of
authority,
or
a
substantial
and
15
specific
danger
to
public
health
or
safety.
This
section
does
16
not
apply
if
the
disclosure
of
the
information
is
prohibited
17
by
statute.
18
Sec.
2.
Section
70A.29,
subsection
3,
Code
2019,
is
amended
19
to
read
as
follows:
20
3.
Subsection
1
may
be
enforced
through
a
civil
action.
21
a.
A
person
who
violates
subsection
1
is
liable
to
22
an
aggrieved
employee
for
affirmative
relief
including
23
reinstatement,
with
or
without
back
pay,
or
civil
damages
in
an
24
amount
not
to
exceed
three
times
the
annual
wages
and
benefits
25
received
by
the
aggrieved
employee
prior
to
the
violation
of
26
subsection
1,
and
any
other
equitable
relief
the
court
deems
27
appropriate,
including
attorney
fees
and
costs.
28
b.
When
a
person
commits,
is
committing,
or
proposes
to
29
commit
an
act
in
violation
of
subsection
1
,
an
injunction
may
30
be
granted
through
an
action
in
district
court
to
prohibit
the
31
person
from
continuing
such
acts.
The
action
for
injunctive
32
relief
may
be
brought
by
an
aggrieved
employee
,
or
the
county
33
attorney
,
or
the
person
providing
human
resource
management
for
34
the
political
subdivision
.
35
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400
Sec.
3.
Section
70A.29,
Code
2019,
is
amended
by
adding
the
1
following
new
subsection:
2
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
4.
Each
political
subdivision
of
this
3
state
subject
to
the
requirements
of
this
section
shall
provide
4
procedures
for
notifying
new
employees
of
the
authority
of
the
5
office
of
ombudsman
to
investigate
complaints
under
chapter
6
2C
and
shall
periodically
conduct
promotional
campaigns
to
7
provide
similar
information
to
all
employees
of
the
political
8
subdivision.
The
information
shall
include
the
toll-free
9
telephone
number
of
the
ombudsman.
10
EXPLANATION
11
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
12
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
13
This
bill
relates
to
disclosures
of
certain
information
14
by
an
employee
of
a
political
subdivision
of
the
state
and
15
provides
for
notification
to
employees
regarding
the
ability
of
16
the
office
of
ombudsman
to
investigate
complaints.
17
Code
section
70A.29,
prohibiting
adverse
employment
action
18
for
certain
disclosures
of
information
by
an
employee
of
a
19
political
subdivision
of
the
state,
is
amended.
The
bill
20
provides
that
an
aggrieved
employee
may
recover
civil
damages
21
in
an
amount
up
to
three
times
the
employee’s
annual
wages
and
22
benefits
at
the
time
of
the
violation
of
the
Code
section.
23
The
bill
specifically
authorizes
disclosure
of
information
by
24
an
employee
to
a
person
providing
human
resource
management
25
for
the
political
subdivision
of
the
state
that
employed
the
26
employee
and
allows
that
person
to
seek
injunctive
relief
for
a
27
violation
of
the
Code
section.
28
The
bill
also
requires
each
political
subdivision
of
the
29
state
subject
to
Code
section
70A.29
to
provide
information
30
to
employees
of
the
authority
of
the
office
of
ombudsman
to
31
investigate
complaints
under
Code
chapter
2C,
including
the
32
toll-free
telephone
number
of
the
ombudsman.
33
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