Iowa House Bill HSB78

Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/25
• Refer: 1/23/25

Caption

A bill for an act relating to government employee paid leave.(See HF 889.)

Summary

HSB78 makes two changes to Iowa law governing paid leave for state employees. First, it revises an existing program that lets certain employees convert unused sick leave into additional vacation time. Under the bill, employees in their first four years of employment could make that election after accumulating 10 days of sick leave, while employees after their fourth year would continue to need 30 days of accumulated sick leave. The bill also keeps the current exclusions for state Board of Regents faculty with nine-month appointments and for employees covered by the public safety bargaining unit, and it authorizes the Department of Administrative Services, and the Board of Regents for its employees, to adopt implementation rules.

Impact

The bill amends Iowa Code section 70A.1 and adds a new section, 70A.24, creating a paid parental leave benefit for eligible state employees who qualify for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. It would require paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child taken within 12 months of the event, providing up to four weeks for a parent who gives birth or adopts, and up to one week for a parent who did not give birth. The measure would therefore expand state employee leave benefits and impose rulemaking duties on the Department of Administrative Services to administer the new benefit.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably in committee, passing the House Committee on State Government unanimously 23-0. No committee transcript is available, but the lack of recorded opposition and the unanimous vote indicate broad support at the committee stage. The bill’s caption also identifies it as a proposed governor bill, which may further suggest executive support.

Contention

The main policy issue in the bill is the scope and cost of paid parental leave for state employees, including whether the benefit should differ between the birth parent and the other parent and whether adoption should receive the same four-week benefit as birth. Another point of potential concern is the adjustment to the sick-leave-to-vacation conversion program, especially the lower sick leave threshold for newer employees, which could affect leave accrual patterns and agency staffing. The exclusions for certain Regents faculty and public safety bargaining unit employees also indicate that some employee groups are treated differently, though no recorded opposition appears in the available materials.