Senate File 2068 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2068 BY McCLINTOCK 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, and including 5 applicability provisions. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 5716XS (3) 90 je/js

S.F. 2068 Section 1. Section 20.3, subsection 11, Code 2024, 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 2024, 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 2024, 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. 24 NEW PARAGRAPH . q. Establish uniform safety practices to 25 be implemented at all correctional institutions under the 26 control of the department that provide guidelines designed to 27 protect the safety of employees and inmates at correctional 28 institutions. 29 NEW PARAGRAPH . r. Adopt rules to allow an employee of 30 the department who has witnessed a trauma event to take 31 between five and thirty days of paid leave depending upon the 32 severity of the trauma event. If the appointing authority of a 33 correctional institution determines that an employee has been 34 held hostage, the employee shall be eligible for a paid leave 35 -1- LSB 5716XS (3) 90 je/js 1/ 3

S.F. 2068 of absence of up to ninety days, as determined by a licensed 1 physician, to allow for recovery from mental and physical 2 stress and any related conditions. Such paid leave shall not 3 be charged against the employee’s sick leave account. 4 NEW PARAGRAPH . s. Establish protocols for allowing 5 employees of the department with ongoing direct contact with 6 inmates access to information identified in section 904.602, 7 subsection 2, for purposes of the administration of the 8 department’s programs of services or assistance to inmates. 9 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 904.322 Contract employees —— pay or 10 benefits. 11 The department shall not enter into an employment contract 12 with a person to perform a function of the department and 13 provide the contract employee with pay or benefits in excess of 14 pay and benefits provided an employee of the state performing 15 similar work. 16 Sec. 5. APPLICABILITY. The section of this Act amending 17 section 20.3 applies to collective bargaining procedures 18 pursuant to chapter 20 initiated on or after the effective date 19 of this Act. 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 the department of corrections. 24 The bill designates nonsupervisory employees of the 25 Iowa department of corrections with ongoing direct contact 26 with inmates as public safety employees for the purposes of 27 collective bargaining pursuant to Code chapter 20, the public 28 employment relations Act. Code chapters 20 and 400 include 29 collective bargaining procedures specifically applicable 30 to public safety employees that are not applicable to other 31 public employees, including procedures relating to the scope 32 of collective bargaining negotiations, arbitration procedures, 33 and certain matters relating to city civil service employment. 34 This provision applies to collective bargaining procedures 35 -2- LSB 5716XS (3) 90 je/js 2/ 3

S.F. 2068 pursuant to Code chapter 20 initiated on or after the effective 1 date of the bill. 2 Code section 509A.13D, providing for continuation of health 3 insurance coverage for a surviving spouse and children of 4 certain department of corrections employees, is amended to 5 provide that the state shall be required to pay the full 6 cost of the health insurance. Current law provides that the 7 state shall not be required to pay for the cost of the health 8 insurance. 9 The bill establishes additional duties of the director 10 of the department of corrections. The bill requires the 11 director to establish a training program for employees of 12 the department with ongoing direct contact with inmates in 13 self-defense and other de-escalation techniques when confronted 14 with potentially violent interactions involving inmates, 15 establish uniform safety practices to be implemented at all 16 correctional institutions, adopt rules to allow an employee of 17 the department who has witnessed a trauma event to take between 18 5 and 30 days of paid leave depending upon the severity of the 19 trauma event and to allow an employee who has been held hostage 20 up to 90 days of paid leave, and to establish protocols for 21 allowing employees of the department with contact with inmates 22 access to certain specified confidential information. 23 The bill also requires that the department of corrections 24 shall not enter into an employment contract with a person to 25 perform a function of the department that provides the contract 26 employee with pay or benefits in excess of pay and benefits 27 provided an employee of the state performing similar work. 28 -3- LSB 5716XS (3) 90 je/js 3/ 3