A bill for an act relating to government employee paid leave. (Formerly HSB 78.) Effective date: 07/01/2025.
Summary
House File 889 makes two changes to Iowa law governing paid leave for state employees. First, it revises the existing sick-leave conversion program so eligible state employees can continue to earn additional vacation time when they do not use sick leave during a month, with the amount and eligibility tied to years of service and sick-leave accumulation. The bill keeps existing exclusions for certain Regents faculty and some public-safety bargaining-unit employees, and it preserves the authority of the Department of Administrative Services and the Board of Regents to adopt implementation rules for their respective employees.
Second, the bill creates a new paid parental leave benefit for state employees who are eligible for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. For a birth, the parent who gave birth may receive up to four weeks of paid leave, while the other parent may receive up to one week. For adoption placement, a state employee parent may receive up to four weeks of paid leave. The leave must be taken within 12 months of the birth or adoption, and the Department of Administrative Services must adopt rules to administer the program.
Impact
The bill amends Iowa Code section 70A.1 and adds a new section 70A.24, expanding state employee leave benefits and creating a new paid parental leave entitlement for qualifying state workers beginning July 1, 2025. It affects state agencies as employers, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Board of Regents, while leaving collective bargaining and existing exclusions in place for certain employee groups.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad bipartisan support for the bill. It passed the House overwhelmingly, received unanimous support in the Senate Workforce Report, and then passed the Senate with only one dissenting vote. No committee transcript is available, but the vote margins indicate the measure was generally viewed favorably as an employee-benefit expansion.
Contention
There is little visible opposition in the available record, but the bill’s structure suggests the main policy distinctions are who is covered and how much leave is provided. The law excludes some Regents faculty with nine-month appointments and certain public-safety bargaining-unit employees from the sick-leave conversion program, and the parental leave benefit is limited to employees already entitled to leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Any contention likely centered on the cost and scope of expanding paid leave for state employees versus maintaining existing leave policies.
A bill for an act relating to paid parental leave for state employees, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 579.) Effective date: 04/30/2026.
Paid leave for employees; providing certain state employees to receive paid maternity leave; providing protections for certain employees. Effective date.