House File 838 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 838 BY BROWN-POWERS A BILL FOR An Act requiring a food establishment to post a routine 1 inspection report card. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2391YH (7) 91 da/ns

H.F. 838 Section 1. Section 137F.11A, Code 2025, is amended to read 1 as follows: 2 137F.11A Posting of Routine inspection reports report . 3 An A food establishment inspected under this chapter shall 4 post the most recent routine inspection report, along with any 5 current complaint or reinspection reports, in a location at the 6 food establishment that is readily visible to the public. The 7 department may require that the food establishment serving food 8 to the public for on-premises consumption post the most recent 9 routine inspection report near its corresponding report card as 10 required in section 137F.11B. 11 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 137F.11B Routine inspection report 12 card. 13 1. After completing a routine inspection report of a food 14 establishment serving food to the public for on-premises 15 consumption as provided in section 137F.11A, a regulatory 16 authority shall complete a routine inspection report card. The 17 routine inspection report card must be on a form prepared and 18 printed by the department. The form must explain the criteria 19 for assigning a letter grade and its corresponding rating. 20 2. a. In completing a routine inspection report card, 21 the regulatory authority shall assign an inspected food 22 establishment a letter as follows: 23 (1) “A” as the highest letter grade, indicating a rating 24 of ninety percent or better but not higher than one hundred 25 percent. 26 (2) “B” as the next highest letter grade, indicating 27 a rating of eighty percent or better but less than ninety 28 percent. 29 (3) “C” as the lowest letter grade indicating a rating of 30 seventy-five percent or better but not less than seventy-five 31 percent. 32 b. The food establishment may request that the corresponding 33 numerical rating be included with the letter grade. 34 3. The license issued to a food establishment under this 35 -1- LSB 2391YH (7) 91 da/ns 1/ 3

H.F. 838 chapter shall be suspended as provided in section 137F.7 1 if a food establishment is assigned a rating of less than 2 seventy-five percent. 3 4. The food establishment shall post the most recent 4 routine inspection report card near each entrance to the 5 food establishment regularly used by its customers or in 6 another conspicuous place selected by the regulatory authority 7 conducting the inspection. 8 5. Upon a reinspection report issued under section 9 137F.11A, the regulatory authority shall complete a new routine 10 inspection report card which shall be posted as provided in 11 subsection 4. 12 EXPLANATION 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 14 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 15 BACKGROUND. Generally, the department of inspections, 16 appeals, and licensing (DIAL), or a local authority under 17 contract with DIAL, provides for the licensing and inspection 18 of a number of businesses where food is processed or prepared 19 for human consumption (Code chapter 137F). DIAL and a local 20 authority are referred to as a regulatory authority (Code 21 section 137F.1). After a food establishment is inspected, it 22 must post an inspection report at a location visible to the 23 public. The food establishment is subject to reinspection. 24 BILL’S PROVISIONS. This bill provides that after conducting 25 a routine inspection of a food establishment that serves food 26 to the public for on-premises consumption (e.g., a restaurant), 27 a regulatory authority must complete a routine inspection 28 report card (report card). A completed report card assigns 29 the inspected food establishment a letter grade based on a 30 percentage rating, including “A” (90 percent to 100 percent), 31 “B” (80 percent to 89 percent) and “C” (75 percent to 79 32 percent). The food establishment’s license must be suspended 33 if a food establishment is assigned a rating of less than 75 34 percent. The food establishment is required to post the most 35 -2- LSB 2391YH (7) 91 da/ns 2/ 3

H.F. 838 recent report card near each entrance to the food establishment 1 or another conspicuous place selected by the regulatory 2 authority. 3 -3- LSB 2391YH (7) 91 da/ns 3/ 3