MINUTES

SERVICE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

November 25, 1997 -- Third Meeting of the 1997-1998 Biennium

MEMBERS PRESENT

Senator Stewart Iverson, Jr.
Senator Michael Gronstal
Senator Don Redfern

Representative Brent Siegrist, Chairperson
Representative John Connors
Representative Betty Grundberg

MEETING IN BRIEF

Minutes prepared by Ed Cook, Legal Counsel
Organizational staffing by Diane Bolender, Director

Procedural Business.
Personnel Reports.
Budget Reports.
Legislative Caucuses' Internet Home Pages.
Personnel Guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies.
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 Chairperson Representative Brent Siegrist at 9:42 a.m., Tuesday, November 25, 1997, in Room 22, State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa.

The Service Committee approved the minutes of the June 25, 1997, meeting of the Committee.

Adjournment. The Service Committee adjourned at 11:30 p.m.

2. Personnel Reports.

a. Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The Service Committee received and filed a personnel report from Dennis Prouty, Director of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, and recommended, upon motion and unanimous vote, that the following employees be promoted:

Mr. Dave Kair, from Computer Systems Analyst III, grade 32, step 4, to Senior Computer Systems Analyst, grade 35, step 3, effective January 1998.
Ms. Valerie Thacker, from Legislative Analyst I, grade 29, step 3, to Legislative Analyst II, grade 32, step 2, effective December 1997.
Mr. Paige Piper/Bach, from Legislative Analyst, grade 27, step 3, to Legislative Analyst I, grade 29, step 2, effective December 1997.

b. Legislative Service Bureau. The Service Committee received and filed a personnel report from Diane Bolender, Director of the Legislative Service Bureau, and recommended, upon motion and unanimous vote, the following:

That the following employee be promoted:
- Ms. Cathy Kelly, from Assistant Editor 1, grade 24, step 3, to Assistant Editor 2, grade 27, step 1, effective December 1997.
That the Capitol Tour Guide job series be reclassified by creating a new position, Senior Capitol Tour Guide, at pay grade 14, and by increasing the pay grade for Capitol Tour Guide Supervisor to grade 22, and that the following employees be assigned as follows:
- Ms. Joan Arnett, from Capitol Tour Guide Supervisor, grade 14, step 6, to Capitol Tour Guide Supervisor, grade 22, step 1, effective June 1997.
- Ms. Karen Nichols, from Capitol Tour Guide, grade 12, step 6, to Senior Capitol Tour Guide, grade 14, step 5, effective June 1997.

c. Legislative Computer Support Bureau. The Service Committee received and filed a personnel report from Sanford Scharf, Director of the Legislative Computer Support Bureau, and recommended, upon motion and unanimous vote, that the following employees be promoted:

Mr. John Rafdal, from Computer Systems Analyst I, grade 27, step 3, to Computer Systems Engineer I, grade 29, step 2, effective March 1998.
Ms. Virginia Rowen, from Computer Systems Analyst II, grade 29, step 6, to Computer Systems Analyst III, grade 32, step 5, effective November 1997.
Mr. Joe Kroes, from Computer Systems Engineer I, grade 29, step 3, to Computer Systems Engineer II, grade 32, step 2, effective November 1997.

d. Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman. The Service Committee received and filed a personnel report from Citizens' Aide William Angrick of the Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman, and recommended, upon motion and unanimous vote, the following:

That Ms. Ruth Cooperrider, Senior Legal Counsel, grade 38, step 3, be hired as Deputy Citizens' Aide, grade 38, step 4, effective November 1997.

3. Budget Reports.

The Service Committee, upon motion and unanimous vote, recommended the adoption of the following budgetary proposals:

a. That the Legislative Council approve the proposed budget and budget allocation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998, pursuant to section 2.12 of the Code, for the following agencies:

Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Legislative Service Bureau.
Legislative Computer Support Bureau.
Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman.

Copies of the proposed budgets are on file in the Legislative Service Bureau.

b. That the Legislative Council approve the proposed supplemental budget allocation of $125,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, for the Legislative Fiscal Bureau for purposes of updating the Bureau's income tax model used in projecting State revenues.

4. Legislative Caucuses' Internet Home Pages.

The Service Committee recommended, upon motion and unanimous vote, that the Computer Support Bureau shall continue to store home pages for each of the four legislative caucuses on the Iowa General Assembly's Internet home page for an additional six-month trial period or until the next Legislative Council meeting following the additional six-month period, whichever is later.

5. Personnel Guidelines for the Central Legislative Staff Agencies.

a. Overview. Proposed changes to the Personnel Guidelines were discussed by the Service Committee during the 1996 legislative interim and at the May 1997 Service Committee meeting, but no action was taken. Mr. Grant Dugdale, Assistant Attorney General, provided the Committee with a brief review of proposed changes to the Personnel Guidelines and indicated that the proposed changes were intended primarily to accomplish two objectives:

To clarify and remove doubt regarding the at will employment status of central staff employees.
To streamline and clarify the grievance procedure for central staff employees, including the authority of the directors of central staff agencies to take action subject to the grievance procedure.

b. Personnel guidelines - consideration - amendments. The Committee proceeded to consider the proposed changes to the Personnel Guidelines as reflected in a document dated 11/20/97 (9757RR). Copies of the 11/20/97 document and the proposed amendments to the document are on file. The following amendments to the Personnel Guidelines were considered prior to adoption of the proposed guidelines, as amended.

Sen. Gronstal amendment 1 - adopted - Director's response required to written questions by employees regarding the Personnel Guidelines. The amendment was changed to allow 30, and not 10, days for the director to respond.
Sen. Gronstal amendment 2 - adopted - Eligibility date for merit increases.
Sen. Iverson amendment (three operations) - adopted - Revision of family death leave, bereavement leave, use of accrued sick leave changes.
Sick leave without pay amendment in Proposed Personnel Guidelines changes - adopted - Specified period for approval of sick leave without pay and termination of employment if a vacant position for which the employee is qualified is not available when the employee returns from sick leave without pay.
Parental and family leave amendment - adopted - Part-time employees employed year round are eligible for parental and family leave benefits.
Sen. Gronstal amendment 3E - adopted as modified - Allow employees 5 working days to provide additional information to director and other parties regarding a grievance. The portion of the amendment providing for an automatic ruling in favor of the employee if the employer fails to comply with time limitations was withdrawn.
Director decision and sanction amendments - adopted - Provide additional time for a director to issue a written decision and provide for potential disciplinary action against a director for failure to comply with the time limitations provided in the guidelines governing the grievance procedure.
Sen. Gronstal amendment 3G - adopted as modified - Consideration of grievance - allow for an employee to designate a third person to represent the employee. The portion of the amendment indicating that the third person need not be a state or legislative employee eliminated as unnecessary.
Rep. Connors amendment - adopted - Substitute "working days" for "days" in the provisions governing the grievance procedure where appropriate.
Sen. Gronstal amendment 3H - adopted as modified - Appeal to council - allow for an employee to designate a third person to represent the employee. The portion of the amendment indicating that the third person need not be a state or legislative employee eliminated as unnecessary.
Sen. Gronstal amendment 3J - adopted as modified - Require amendments to a grievance to be filed with both the affected director and the employee.
Rep. Connors amendment - not adopted - Would have required the grievance proceeding and any records involved to be confidential at the request of the employee or affected director. However, the Committee agreed that following the adjournment of the Committee, a subcommittee would meet to develop similar language acceptable to all parties and the agreed upon language would become a part of the Guidelines. That agreed upon language, which states that the grievance hearing shall be closed at the request of either the employee or the affected director, was included in the Service Committee Report to the Legislative Council.
Sen. Gronstal amendment 10 - adopted - Allow employees to have copies of their personnel files made free of charge.

c. Recommendations - comments - passage. The proposed changes to the Personnel Guidelines, as amended, were adopted with all members voting in the affirmative except Senator Gronstal who voted no.

Senator Gronstal expressed concern over language in the Guidelines that all central staff employees, and not just directors and supervisors, are "at will" employees. Representative Connors expressed his preference for requiring cause prior to terminating employees.

Chairperson Siegrist indicated, with the unanimous consent of the Committee, that it is an accepted practice to allow work time to prepare a grievance and that the changes to the Personnel Guidelines adopted by the Committee do not modify this practice.

6. Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

a. November 1997 personnel report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

b. November 1997 personnel report from the Legislative Service Bureau.

c. November 1997 personnel report from the Legislative Computer Support Bureau.

d. November 1997 personnel report from the Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman.

e. FY 1999 budget request from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

f. FY 1999 budget request from the Legislative Service Bureau.

g. FY 1999 budget request from the Legislative Computer Support Bureau.

h. FY 1999 budget request from the Office of Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman.

i. Proposed revisions of the Personnel Guidelines (premeeting version), 9757RR, 11/20/97.

j. Proposed amendments to the Personnel Guidelines by Senator Gronstal.

k. Proposed amendment to the Personnel Guidelines by Senator Iverson.

l. Proposed amendment to the Personnel Guidelines regarding parental and family leave benefits.

m. Proposed revisions of the Personnel Guidelines as amended and adopted at the meeting.

OTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS COMMITTEE:

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