House Study Bill 538 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL BY CHAIRPERSON KOESTER) A BILL FOR An Act removing prohibitions on emergency management 1 organization employees from holding elective office. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5527YC (3) 86 aw/sc

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 29C.16, Code 2016, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 29C.16 Political activity prohibited. 3 1. A person employed by any organization for emergency 4 management established under this chapter shall not: 5 a. 1. During working hours or when performing official 6 duties or when using public equipment or at any time on public 7 property, take part in any way in soliciting any contribution 8 for any political party or any person seeking political office. 9 The provisions of this section do not preclude any employee 10 from holding any nonpartisan elective office for which no pay 11 is received or any office for which only token pay is received. 12 b. 2. Seek or attempt to use any political endorsement in 13 connection with any appointment to a position created under 14 this chapter . 15 c. 3. Use any official authority or influence for the 16 purpose of interfering with an election or affecting the 17 results thereof of an election . 18 2. Any employee of an organization for emergency management 19 shall not become a candidate for any partisan elective office. 20 EXPLANATION 21 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 22 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 23 This bill relates to prohibitions on emergency management 24 organization employees from holding elective office. 25 Under current law, such employees are prohibited from 26 taking part in soliciting contributions for political parties 27 or political candidates at certain times, from seeking or 28 using a political endorsement in connection to appointment to 29 an emergency management position, and from interfering with 30 elections and election results. Current law provides that such 31 prohibitions do not preclude emergency management organization 32 employees from holding certain nonpartisan elective offices. 33 The bill strikes the language providing this exception and 34 strikes another provision that prohibits such employees from 35 -1- LSB 5527YC (3) 86 aw/sc 1/ 2

H.F. _____ becoming candidates for partisan elective office. 1 -2- LSB 5527YC (3) 86 aw/sc 2/ 2