Iowa lawmakers send child labor bill to governor

DES MOINES — Iowa lawmakers gave final passage to a bill that will open more jobs to teenagers in the state, sending the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk to be signed into law.

Senate File 542 would allow minors to stock shelves with items up to 30 pounds and load equipment into motor vehicles at 15, while 16- and 17-year-olds could serve alcohol in restaurants with parents' permission. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds could work later hours, and people over 16 could work the same hours as adults.

The Senate voted 29-18 to pass the bill, with Republicans Charlie McClintock of Alburnett and Jeff Taylor of Sioux Center joining all Democrats in opposing.

Republican supporters have said the bill modernizes Iowa's labor laws and opens new opportunities to young people to earn money.

The bill was amended in the House this week, and matched in the Senate, to remove what minority Democrats saw as some of the most egregious provisions.

The amendment removed language that would have allowed state officials to give waivers to 14- and 15-year-olds to work in jobs currently banned for minors as part of a work-based learning program. It would also require employers to keep minors from being employed by registered sex offenders and require employers to report a workplace harassment incident to the employee's parents and the state civil rights commission.

Senate Democrats said the amendment is an improvement on the original bill, but they voted against the final bill, saying it still would put teenagers in dangerous situations and jeopardize their education.

Caucus bill advances in Senate

Iowa Senate lawmakers advanced a bill that would limit how state political parties can conduct presidential precinct caucuses, while allowing some flexibility for remote selection of presidential delegates.

House File 716 would require parties to hold their caucuses in person only if the purpose of the caucus is to select delegates as part of the presidential nominating process. The bill, which passed in the House this week, advanced out of a Senate committee Wednesday, making it eligible for a full Senate vote.

Republican supporters argued the bill would protect Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses by preventing the Iowa Democratic Party from designing a caucus that looks too similar to a primary, which they said would prompt New Hampshire, the first primary state, to jump ahead of Iowa in the presidential nominating process.

Democrats have announced plans to conduct their presidential preference in 2024 by mail, while holding a party-organizing caucus on the same night that Republicans caucus.

Endow Iowa Tax Credit

The Senate gave unanimous approval to a proposal for a one-time, $7 million appropriation to clear a backlog of charitable donations eligible for the Endow Iowa Tax Credit before returning the program to its annual $6 million cap.

When it previously passed the House, the legislation also included a provision to dedicate the funds accumulated by the state tax on sports betting. That piece of the bill was amended out before the Senate vote.

Because of that change, House File 710 goes back to the House for its approval again before it can be sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her consideration.

Before giving her blessing along with other senators, Sen. Chris Cournoyer, R-LeClaire, who managed the bill in the Senate, warned that the county-based community foundations in the future must be more attentive to the tax credit’s annual cap and not over-promise to the individuals making charitable donations with the expectation of receiving the credit.

Work-based learning grant program

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday a $1.5 million grant program to create work-based learning programs like internships and job shadowing experiences for Iowa high school students.

The goal of the program is to connect students with potential future employees and help them make decisions about education or job opportunities after high school.

The money can be used for staff salary, benefits, transportation, supplies and other expenses for administering a work-based learning program.

Applications for the funds can be made on IowaGrants.gov until June 2.