MINUTES

SERVICE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

May 21 -- First Meeting for 1997-1998

MEMBERS PRESENT

• Representative Brent Siegrist, Chairperson
• Senator Stewart Iverson, Jr.
• Senator Michael Gronstal
• Representative John Connors
• Representative Betty Grundberg

MEETING IN BRIEF

Organizational staffing provided by Ed Cook, Legal Counsel
Organizational staffing by Diane Bolender, Director

The meeting included the following topics and actions:

1. Procedural Business.
2. Computer User Policy Direction Committee Reports.
3. Personnel Guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies.
4. Personnel Reports.
5. Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

1. Procedural Business.

Call to Order. The Service Committee of the Legislative Council was called to order by Representative Brent Siegrist at 10:08 a.m., Wednesday, May 21, 1997, in Room 24, State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa.

Election of Chairperson. Representative Brent Siegrist was elected chairperson of the Service Committee.

Adjournment. The Service Committee adjourned at 10:58 a.m.

2. Computer User Policy Direction Committee Reports.

The Service Committee received and filed the February 1997 and May 1997 reports of the Computer User Policy Direction Committee. Upon motion and unanimous vote, the Service Committee made the following recommendations:

1. The Computer Support Bureau shall continue to create, maintain, and store nonpartisan information about the Iowa General Assembly on the Iowa General Assembly's home page on the Internet.
2. The Computer Support Bureau shall not create, maintain, or store an Internet home page for a member of the Iowa General Assembly. The Computer Support Bureau shall, on a six-month trial basis, store home pages for each of the four legislative caucuses on the Iowa General Assembly's Internet home page.
3. The Computer Support Bureau shall provide a notification on each link from the Iowa General Assembly's state-supported home page to another Internet site, including links to home pages of members of the General Assembly, that the user is leaving the Iowa General Assembly's state-supported home page and that the legislative branch has no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in the linked home pages.
4. The Service Committee recommended to the Legislative Council that the Council approve the following electronic links from the Internet site on the Iowa General Assembly's Internet server to home pages hosted on other Internet servers:
   • Any Iowa General Assembly member's official home page.
   • Any central nonpartisan legislative staff agency's official home page.
   • The official home page of any elected member of Congress from Iowa.
   • The official home page of either house of Congress.
   • The official home page of the President of the United States.
   • The official home page of any major political party in Iowa.
   • The official home page of any major national political party.
   • The official home page of the State of Iowa.
   • The official home page of any official state government library in Iowa.
   • The official home page of any educational or nonprofit organization holding a copyright over information made available on the Iowa General Assembly's Internet site.
   • Any official site of the United States Library of Congress (such as Thomas).
   • The official home page of any national or regional government organization of which the Iowa General Assembly is a member or to which the State of Iowa pays dues or a membership assessment on behalf of the legislative branch.
   In addition, the Service Committee recommended that any additional links from those listed in this paragraph shall be approved by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Legislative Council and the Minority Leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.
5. The Director of the Legislative Computer Support Bureau shall develop a mission statement for the Bureau and provide copies of the mission statement to the members of the Service Committee at least 10 days prior to the June 1997 meeting of the Service Committee. The possible hiring of an outside consultant to review the mission for the Computer Support Bureau was discussed but no such recommendation was made.
6. Decisions regarding the software, training, and support for the laptop computers in the possession of the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall be made by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the House of Representatives Administration and Rules Committee, respectively.
7. The Service Committee received a report from the Computer User Policy Direction Committee approving the expenditure of moneys received by the Computer Support Bureau for printers and scanning stations. The moneys received were payments from Lexis-Nexis and West Publishing Corporation for providing them with various copies of the Code of Iowa in electronic or printed format.
8. The decision on whether to purchase necessary hardware and software for the acquisition of a fax server for members' laptops was referred to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the House of Representatives Administration and Rules Committee for consideration.

3. Personnel Guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies.

Mr. Grant Dugdale, Attorney General's Office, addressed the Committee concerning proposed changes to the personnel guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies. Mr. Dugdale prefaced his remarks by noting that the employment status of central staff employees, as reflected in the current personnel guidelines, is ambiguous and does not clearly reflect whether the employees can be either terminated "at will" or for "just cause." Mr. Dugdale indicated that, based upon discussions with the Service Committee during 1996, the preliminary decision of the Service Committee was to consider modifying the guidelines to reflect that central staff employees are employed "at will." In addition, Mr. Dugdale noted that appropriate procedural due process is not provided by the guidelines in their current form, whichever employment status is conferred on employees. The proposed changes to the guidelines were drafted consistent with this intent.
The proposed guidelines provide for a disclaimer statement, to be signed by employees, indicating the legal effect of the personnel guidelines. The proposal also eliminates references to a "probationary" period while still retaining restrictions on the promotion of employees during the first six months of employment. The proposal also makes changes to conform the guidelines with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and also clarifies several rules concerning the filing and handling of grievances. In addition, the changes provide that a central staff director can appeal an adverse grievance ruling. The proposal also limits employees to no more than a two-step increase in pay during any twelve-month period.
The Service Committee raised several questions concerning the personnel guidelines. The Committee questioned the wording used concerning the promotion of central staff employees and the provisions governing the ability of a person to call witnesses and have representation during a grievance proceeding.
It was noted that although the Service Committee recommended last year that a subcommittee be formed to study changes to the personnel guidelines, the subcommittee has never met. The Service Committee decided to refer consideration of the proposed changes to the Personnel Guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies to a subcommittee of the whole Service Committee that would meet prior to the next Service Committee meeting in June. Representative Connors requested that Mr. Dugdale be present for the meeting of the subcommittee of the whole.

4. Personnel Reports.

The Service Committee received and filed the personnel reports from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Legislative Service Bureau, Computer Support Bureau, and the Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman. The reports reflected all personnel actions of each central staff agency since the last report, which was submitted to the Service Committee in November 1996, and included notification concerning merit pay increases for employees, employee resignations, new employees hired, and parental/family leave taken. Mr. Sandy Scharf, Director of the Computer Support Bureau, identified an error in the Bureau's report and notified the Committee that the correct date for the previous grade and step for Virginia Rowen was November 1995 rather than November 1996.

5. Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

a. February 1997 Computer User Policy Direction Committee Report.

b. May 1997 Computer User Policy Direction Committee Report.

c. Updated personnel report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

d. Updated personnel report from the Legislative Service Bureau.

e. Updated personnel report from the Legislative Computer Support Bureau.

f. Updated personnel report from the Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman.

g. Proposed changes to the Personnel Guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies.

OTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS COMMITTEE:

| Charge | Members | Staff |

Iowa General Assembly

Search: 1997 Interim (77th General Assembly)

© 1997 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments about this site or page? webmaster@legis.iowa.gov. Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.

Last update: Mon Aug 18 13:01:04 CDT 1997
URL: /DOCS/GA/77GA/Interim/1997/comminfo/service/mn970521.htm
sw