House File 2405 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2405 BY PRICHARD A BILL FOR An Act relating to certain employees of the department of 1 corrections, including collective bargaining, health 2 insurance for a surviving spouse and children of certain 3 employees of the department, and certain operational and 4 employment matters involving the department. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 5303YH (5) 89 ec/rn

H.F. 2405 Section 1. Section 20.3, subsection 11, Code 2022, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . g. A nonsupervisory employee of the Iowa 3 department of corrections with ongoing direct contact with 4 inmates. 5 Sec. 2. Section 509A.13D, subsection 3, Code 2022, is 6 amended to read as follows: 7 3. The governing body of the state shall not be required 8 to pay for the full cost of the health insurance under this 9 section ; however, the governing body of the state may pay the 10 full cost or a portion of the cost of the health insurance . If 11 the full cost or a portion of the cost of the coverage is not 12 paid by the governing body of the state, the surviving spouse 13 and each surviving child who is eligible for health insurance 14 under this section may elect to continue coverage by paying 15 that portion of the cost of the health insurance not paid by 16 the governing body of the state. 17 Sec. 3. Section 904.108, subsection 1, Code 2022, is amended 18 by adding the following new paragraphs: 19 NEW PARAGRAPH . p. Establish a training program for 20 employees of the department with ongoing direct contact with 21 inmates in self-defense and other de-escalation techniques when 22 confronted with potentially violent interactions involving 23 inmates. The training program shall include an in-person 24 component. 25 NEW PARAGRAPH . q. Establish uniform safety practices to 26 be implemented at all correctional institutions under the 27 control of the department that provide guidelines designed to 28 protect the safety of employees and inmates at correctional 29 institutions. 30 NEW PARAGRAPH . r. Adopt rules to allow an employee of 31 the department who has witnessed a trauma event to take 32 between five and thirty days of paid leave depending upon the 33 severity of the trauma event. If the appointing authority of a 34 correctional institution determines that an employee has been 35 -1- LSB 5303YH (5) 89 ec/rn 1/ 3

H.F. 2405 held hostage, the employee shall be eligible for a paid leave 1 of absence of up to ninety days, as determined by a licensed 2 physician, to allow for recovery from mental and physical 3 stress and any related conditions. Such paid leave shall not 4 be charged against the employee’s sick leave account. 5 NEW PARAGRAPH . s. Establish protocols for allowing 6 employees of the department with ongoing direct contact with 7 inmates access to information identified in section 904.602, 8 subsection 2, for purposes of the administration of the 9 department’s programs of services or assistance to inmates. 10 Sec. 4. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS —— CONTRACT 11 EMPLOYEES. The Iowa department of corrections shall not enter 12 into an employment contract with a person to perform a function 13 of the department and provide the contract employee with pay or 14 benefits in excess of pay and benefits provided an employee of 15 the state performing similar work. 16 EXPLANATION 17 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 18 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 19 This bill relates to the department of corrections. 20 Code section 20.3 is amended to designate nonsupervisory 21 employees of the Iowa department of corrections with ongoing 22 direct contact with inmates as public safety employees for the 23 purposes of collective bargaining pursuant to Code chapter 24 20, the public employment relations Act. Code chapters 20 25 and 400 include collective bargaining procedures specifically 26 applicable to public safety employees that are not applicable 27 to other public employees, including procedures relating to 28 the scope of collective bargaining negotiations, arbitration 29 procedures, and certain matters relating to city civil service 30 employment. 31 Code section 509A.13D, providing for continuation of health 32 insurance coverage for a surviving spouse and children of 33 certain department of corrections employees, is amended to 34 provide that the state shall be required to pay the full 35 -2- LSB 5303YH (5) 89 ec/rn 2/ 3

H.F. 2405 cost of the health insurance. Current law provides that the 1 state shall not be required to pay for the cost of the health 2 insurance. 3 Code section 904.108, concerning duties of the director of 4 the department of corrections, is amended. The bill requires 5 the director to establish a training program for employees of 6 the department with ongoing direct contact with inmates in 7 self-defense and other de-escalation techniques when confronted 8 with potentially violent interactions involving inmates, 9 establish uniform safety practices to be implemented at all 10 correctional institutions, adopt rules to allow an employee of 11 the department who has witnessed a trauma event to take between 12 five and 30 days of paid leave depending upon the severity of 13 the trauma event and to allow an employee who has been held 14 hostage up to 90 days of paid leave, and to establish protocols 15 for allowing employees of the department with contact with 16 inmates access to certain confidential information identified 17 in Code section 904.602, subsection 2. The bill also requires 18 that the department of corrections shall not enter into an 19 employment contract with a person to perform a function of the 20 department that provides the contract employee with pay or 21 benefits in excess of pay and benefits provided an employee of 22 the state performing similar work. 23 -3- LSB 5303YH (5) 89 ec/rn 3/ 3