2000 Summary of Legislation ELECTIONS, ETHICS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE Published by the Iowa General Assembly -- Legislative Service Bureau

ELECTIONS, ETHICS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE LEGISLATION

HOUSE FILE 2330 - Polling Places _ Directional Signs (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT. This Act requires that the county commissioner of elections on the day of an election post a sign stating "vote here" at each driveway entrance leading to the building where a polling place is located. Signs must be visible from the street or highway fronting the driveway.

HOUSE FILE 2431 - Ethics and Campaign Disclosure _ Regulation and Enforcement (full text of act)

   BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT. This Act limits actions that can be commenced to enforce provisions of the Code relating to conflicts of interest of public officers and public employees. The Act provides that an action may only be brought against local officials or local employees and not against state employees or legislative employees. The Act does not impact the legislative ethics committees' jurisdiction over legislators and lobbyists and the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board's jurisdiction over state officials and employees of state government.

   The Act provides that, in an action to enforce provisions of the Code relating to conflicts of interest of public officers and employees, the complaint shall be filed with another county attorney if the county attorney is the person against whom the complaint is filed or if the county attorney otherwise has a personal or legal conflict of interest. All other complaints are filed with the county attorney in the county where the accused resides.

   The Act provides that if a person fails to comply with an action of the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, the board may file a petition in the Polk County District Court to enforce the order.

   The Act requires that a lobbyist's client file a report on or before January 31 and July 31 containing information on all salaries, fees and retainers paid by the lobbyist's client to the lobbyist for lobbying purposes, regardless of whether any payments have been made during the previous six months.

RELATED LEGISLATION

SENATE FILE 2092 -- Substantive Code Corrections (Complete summary under STATE GOVERNMENT.)

   This Act contains statutory corrections that adjust language to reflect current practices, insert earlier omissions, delete redundancies and inaccuracies, delete temporary language, resolve inconsistencies and conflicts, update ongoing provisions, or remove ambiguities. Certain provisions relating to the canvassing of the results of a judicial election are amended by adding the phrase "full-time associate juvenile judge, or full-time associate probate judge." Provisions pertaining to the Sheep and Wool Promotion Board are clarified to provide that the board has the authority to set an assessment if approved by a majority of voters at a referendum. A clerical error, which occurred during the drafting process of 1999 Iowa Acts, Chapter 158, is corrected in language which relates to the imposition of excise taxes on turkeys. Language relating to when stock ownership constitutes a prohibited personal interest in a municipal housing project or property included or to be included in a municipal housing project by a public official or employee of a municipality is modified to provide that a 5 percent ownership interest "shall not be deemed an interest of, or ownership or control by" the person. The word "part-time" is added before the words "associate probate judge" in provisions relating to the appointment, removal and qualification of part-time associate probate judges.

SENATE FILE 2215 -- Leaves of Absence for Partisan Political Candidates -- Sheriffs and Civil Service Officers and Employees (Complete summary under LOCAL GOVERNMENT.)

   This Act provides that a county officer or employee subject to civil service, and a chief deputy sheriff or second deputy sheriff, who becomes a candidate for a partisan elective office for remuneration, shall receive, upon request, a 30-day unpaid leave of absence before the primary and general election. The Act takes effect March 31, 2000.

© 1998 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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Last update: WED June 28 2000
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