Senate File 407 - Introduced SENATE FILE 407 BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO SF 355) A BILL FOR An Act relating to employee residency qualifications in cities 1 with a civil service commission. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2438SV (2) 86 aw/sc
S.F. 407 Section 1. Section 400.17, subsection 3, Code 2015, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 3. a. Employees shall not be required to be a resident 3 of the city in which they are employed, but they shall become 4 a resident of the state within two years of such appointment 5 or the date employment begins and shall remain a resident of 6 the state during the remainder of employment. However, cities 7 may set a reasonable maximum distance outside of the corporate 8 limits of the city, or a reasonable maximum travel time, that 9 police officers, fire fighters, and other critical municipal 10 employees may live from their place of employment. Each 11 employee residing outside the state on the date of appointment 12 or on the date employment begins shall take reasonable steps to 13 become a resident of the state as soon as practicable following 14 appointment or beginning of employment. 15 b. Cities may establish a policy to provide individual 16 exemptions from the requirements of this subsection due to 17 individual hardship and upon a determination by the civil 18 service commission that granting an individual exemption to a 19 requesting employee is not contrary to the public interest. 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 employee residency qualifications in 24 cities with a civil service commission. 25 Current law prohibits cities operating with a civil service 26 commission from requiring employees to reside in the city in 27 which they are employed, but requires that such employees 28 become residents of the state within two years of appointment 29 or the date employment begins. Current law does, however, 30 provide that cities may set a reasonable maximum distance 31 outside of the corporate limits of the city, or a reasonable 32 maximum travel time, that police officers, fire fighters, 33 and other critical employees may live from their place of 34 employment. Current law further requires that an employee 35 -1- LSB 2438SV (2) 86 aw/sc 1/ 2
S.F. 407 hired from out of state take reasonable steps to become a 1 resident of the state as soon as practicable. 2 The bill provides that each city with a civil service 3 commission may establish a policy to provide individual 4 exemptions from these provisions due to individual hardship 5 and upon a determination by the civil service commission that 6 granting an individual exemption is not contrary to the public 7 interest. 8 -2- LSB 2438SV (2) 86 aw/sc 2/ 2