House Issues – 2005

 

1 IOWA PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM (IPERS) (HF 729)

Provides contribution increases to fund IPERS commitments and maintains 60-40 employer/employee contribution ratio.

  • IFL position was “YES                    

  • House Vote: Passed 94 yes – 5 no

  • Died in Senate

2 ELECTION LAW CHANGES  (HF 793)      

Restricts voting by closing polls earlier, requiring all voters to show a photo ID before casting a ballot, and eliminates the ability of citizens to petition for a satellite voting site.

  • IFL position was “NO.”                  

  • House Vote: Passed 51 yes – 48 no

  • Died in Senate

3 DRUG TESTING  (HF 703)

Allows employers to test hair and other body tissues or secretions, in addition to urine, saliva, and blood, when testing for drug or alcohol use, even though such tests have not yet been proven reliable and labs have not been certified for these tests.

  • IFL position was “NO.”

  • House Vote: Passed 56 yes – 44 no

  • Died in Senate

4 OSHA TRAINING (HF 702) 

Requires documentation of OSHA training by industry classification rather than recognition of hazards, thus giving employers an artificial argument for challenging OSHA inspections.                                           

  • IFL position was “NO.”                    

  • House Vote: Passed 51 yes – 49 no

  • Died in Senate

5 IOWA VALUES FUND (IVF) HEALTH CARE INCENTIVE (Amendment H-1478B to HF 868)

Requires recipients of IVF money to provide employees with a standard health care plan 80% paid by the employer. 

  • IFL position was “YES.”

  • House Vote: Failed 41 yes – 59 no    

6 IOWA VALUES FUND WAGE THRESHOLD (Amendment H-1478C to HF 868)       

Requires recipients of IVF money to pay wages of at least $28,500 or 130% of the county average wage, whichever is higher.                                      

  • IFL position was “YES

  • House Vote: Failed 35 yes – 65 no

7 TUITION TAX CREDIT  (HF 853)

Creates an income tax credit for taxpayers donating to qualified private school tuition organizations at a cost to the state of $10 million per year.

  • IFL position was “NO.”

  • House Vote: Passed 57 yes – 42 no

  • Died in Senate

8 SALES TAX ON COINS AND PRECIOUS METALS   (HF-844)   

Exempts purchase of investment grade coins and precious metals from sales tax.                  

  • IFL position was “NO                   

  • House Vote: Passed 57 yes – 41 no

  • Died in Senate