Capitol Notebook: Iowa public union workers protest proposed collective bargaining changes

Members of the largest public employees union in Iowa rallied at the Iowa Capitol against a legislative proposal that would impact collective bargaining for public workers.

Members and supporters of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, became the second labor group in the past five days to rally at the Iowa Capitol in opposition to Senate File 2374, which would decertify a public worker collective bargaining unit if the employer fails to submit to the state a list of union-eligible workers.

Iowa Senate Republicans who introduced the legislation have said it is needed to close a loophole in the 2017 collective bargaining law that stripped Iowa public workers of most of their collective bargaining rights. Since then, many public bargaining units have not submitted lists of union-eligible workers and thus not held annual recertification elections, both of which are required by the 2017 law.

Labor advocates have called it a “union-busting” bill because it places bargaining units’ fate in the hands of the employer.

The Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO represents more than 42,000 members throughout Iowa, the organization says.

Gender balance repeal passes House

Iowa House Republicans passed a bill Monday to repeal the requirements that Iowa’s boards and commissions have an equal number of men and women.

The bill, Senate File 2096, would roll back the decades-old laws that were put in place to address gender discrimination and the lack of women on Iowa’s administrative boards. The state has had the gender balance laws in place since 1987. In 2012, the requirement was extended to city and county boards and commissions.

The bill passed the House along party lines, 62-33. It is now eligible to be signed into law by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Reynolds proposed a similar measure in a sweeping bill this year to reorganize and eliminate Iowa’s boards and commissions. Senate lawmakers opted to run the gender balance repeal as a stand-alone bill.

According to research from Iowa State University’s Carrie Chapman Catt Center, Iowa was the first state to require gender-balanced boards and commissions, and it is the only state to require gender balance for all levels of government.

Supporters of the measure say that there is no need for them now, when women have made strides toward equality and assumed top leadership roles in the state. Opponents, though, said during debate on Monday that the laws are necessary to allow women to serve on Iowa’s boards and take part in the state’s governmental process.

House passes ‘swatting’ penalties

Harsher penalties on “swatting” — calling in a false police report of violence in order to draw a response from police — are headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

Iowa House lawmakers unanimously passed Senate File 2161 on Monday. After passing the House, it is eligible to be signed into law by Reynolds.

Under the bill, the penalty for swatting would be a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine between $750 and $7,500. If a false report causes an injury or death, it would be a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine between $1,000 and $10,000.

Foreign farmland ownership

The first piece of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ legislative agenda this year is ready for her signature after House lawmakers passed a bill to create broader requirements for foreign landowners.

The bill, Senate File 2204, passed the House unanimously on Tuesday. Lawmakers said it would protect Iowa’s farmers and landowners and allow the state to more closely monitor foreign land ownership.

“American farmland should remain in American hands, and Iowa’s agricultural dominance must be protected. Other states look to Iowa as a model, but foreign adversaries are adapting, and our laws must too,” Reynolds said in a news release Monday. “I’m proud that the first bill sent to my desk this legislative session had bipartisan support to protect our most valuable resource: our land. Iowans across all 99 counties have expressed the need for tougher foreign ownership laws that strengthen enforcement, increase reporting, and enhance transparency. And today, we can say we’ve delivered.”

The bill would add additional reporting requirements for foreign landowners. Foreign entities are currently allowed to purchase up to 320 acres of farmland in the state, if it is converted to another use within five years.

The bill would authorize the Iowa Attorney General to subpoena foreign landowners and investigate potential violations.

Much of the reported information in the bill would be confidential from the public. The bill would direct the secretary of state to prepare an annual report on foreign land ownership that would be available to members of the Legislature but not to the public.

Iowa Senate Democrats announce new caucus leaders

Democratic members of the Iowa Senate on Monday selected Sens. Izaah Knox, D-Des Moines, and Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, to serve as assistant leaders of the caucus, succeeding Sens. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, and Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, in leadership roles.

The Senate Democratic leadership team consists of:

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau