Bill Text: IA HF686 | 2025-2026 | 91st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act providing for paid medical leave and providing penalties and remedies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-28 - Introduced, referred to State Government. H.J. 479. [HF686 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2025-HF686-Introduced.html
House
File
686
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
686
BY
CROKEN
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
providing
for
paid
medical
leave
and
providing
penalties
1
and
remedies.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
10A.202,
subsection
2,
Code
2025,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
2.
The
department
is
responsible
for
the
administration
of
3
the
laws
of
this
state
under
chapters
88A
,
88B
,
89
,
89A
,
90A
,
4
91A
,
91C
,
91D
,
91E
,
91F,
and
92
,
and
such
other
labor-services
5
duties
assigned
to
the
department
or
director.
6
Sec.
2.
Section
10A.204,
subsection
3,
Code
2025,
is
amended
7
to
read
as
follows:
8
3.
The
director,
in
consultation
with
the
labor
9
commissioner,
shall,
at
the
time
provided
by
law,
make
an
10
annual
report
to
the
governor
setting
forth
in
appropriate
11
form
the
business
and
expense
of
the
division
and
department
12
under
this
subchapter
for
the
preceding
year,
the
number
13
of
remedial
actions
taken
under
chapter
89A
,
the
number
of
14
disputes
or
violations
processed
by
the
division
or
department
15
and
the
disposition
of
the
disputes
or
violations,
and
other
16
matters
pertaining
to
the
division
or
department
under
this
17
subchapter
which
that
are
of
public
interest,
together
with
18
recommendations
for
change
or
amendment
of
the
laws
in
this
19
chapter
and
chapters
88
,
88A
,
88B
,
89
,
89A
,
89B
,
90A
,
91A
,
91C
,
20
91D
,
91E
,
91F,
and
92
,
and
sections
85.67A
and
85.68
,
and
the
21
recommendations,
if
any,
shall
be
transmitted
by
the
governor
22
to
the
first
general
assembly
in
session
after
the
report
is
23
filed.
24
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
91F.1
Definitions.
25
As
used
in
this
chapter,
unless
the
context
otherwise
26
requires:
27
1.
“Child”
means
a
biological,
adopted,
or
foster
child,
28
a
stepchild,
a
legal
ward,
or
a
child
of
a
person
standing
in
29
loco
parentis,
regardless
of
the
child’s
age
or
dependency
30
status.
31
2.
“Director”
means
the
director
of
the
department
of
32
inspections,
appeals,
and
licensing.
33
3.
“Employee”
means
a
natural
person
employed
for
wages
by
34
an
employer
in
this
state.
35
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4.
“Employer”
means
a
person
that
employs
for
wages
in
this
1
state.
2
5.
“Health
care
provider”
means
a
physician
or
other
health
3
care
practitioner
licensed
in
this
or
another
state.
4
6.
“Health
condition”
means
an
illness,
injury,
impairment,
5
physical
condition,
or
mental
condition
that
requires
6
diagnosis,
treatment,
or
care
by
a
health
care
provider.
7
7.
“Medical
leave”
means
a
leave
from
work
taken
by
an
8
employee
made
necessary
by
a
health
condition
of
the
employee
9
or
a
child,
parent,
or
spouse
of
the
employee.
10
8.
“Parent”
means
a
biological,
adoptive,
step,
or
foster
11
father
or
mother,
or
any
other
individual
who
stands
in
loco
12
parentis
to
an
employee
or
who
stood
in
loco
parentis
when
the
13
employee
was
a
child.
14
Sec.
4.
NEW
SECTION
.
91F.2
Paid
medical
leave.
15
1.
An
employer
shall
provide
an
employee
at
least
ten
days
16
of
paid
medical
leave
per
calendar
year.
17
2.
Payment
for
such
leave
shall
be
equal
to
the
earnings
18
the
employee
would
otherwise
have
received
but
for
taking
such
19
leave,
calculated
based
on
the
length
of
the
pay
period
in
20
which
the
employee
is
ordinarily
compensated.
21
3.
If
the
employee’s
earnings
vary
from
pay
period
to
22
pay
period,
the
payment
shall
be
based
on
an
average
of
the
23
employee’s
earnings
in
the
three
pay
periods
preceding
such
24
leave.
If
the
employee’s
earnings
are
not
paid
on
a
periodic
25
basis,
the
payment
shall
be
based
on
the
average
earnings
the
26
employee
received
in
the
previous
three
months.
27
Sec.
5.
NEW
SECTION
.
91F.3
Employer
rights.
28
1.
An
employer
may
require
advance
notice
of
leave
taken
29
under
section
91F.2
when
taking
such
leave
is
reasonably
30
foreseeable.
31
2.
An
employer
may
require
an
employee
to
provide
written
32
documentation
from
a
health
care
provider,
consistent
with
33
applicable
state
and
federal
privacy
laws,
within
one
week
of
34
an
employee
returning
from
leave
under
section
91F.2,
that
such
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leave
was
taken
due
to
a
health
condition.
1
Sec.
6.
NEW
SECTION
.
91F.4
Enforcement
——
rules.
2
1.
The
director
shall
enforce
this
chapter.
This
chapter
3
shall
be
enforced
pursuant
to
chapter
91A.
4
2.
The
director
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
5
17A
to
administer
this
chapter.
Such
rules
may
establish
6
additional
procedures,
requirements,
and
definitions
necessary
7
to
implement
this
chapter.
8
EXPLANATION
9
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
10
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
11
This
bill
requires
an
employer
to
provide
an
employee
at
12
least
10
days
of
paid
medical
leave
per
calendar
year.
13
The
bill
defines
“medical
leave”
as
a
leave
from
work
14
taken
by
an
employee
made
necessary
by
a
health
condition
of
15
the
employee
or
a
child,
parent,
or
spouse
of
the
employee.
16
The
bill
defines
“health
condition”
as
an
illness,
injury,
17
impairment,
physical
condition,
or
mental
condition
that
18
requires
diagnosis,
treatment,
or
care
by
a
health
care
19
provider.
20
The
bill
provides
that
payment
for
medical
leave
shall
21
be
equal
to
the
earnings
the
employee
would
otherwise
have
22
received
but
for
taking
such
leave,
calculated
based
on
the
23
length
of
the
pay
period
in
which
the
employee
is
ordinarily
24
compensated.
The
bill
provides
for
other
methods
of
25
calculating
earnings
applicable
to
certain
employees.
26
The
bill
authorizes
an
employer
to
require
advance
notice
of
27
medical
leave
when
taking
such
leave
is
reasonably
foreseeable.
28
The
bill
authorizes
an
employer
to
require
an
employee
to
29
provide
written
documentation
from
a
health
care
provider,
30
consistent
with
applicable
state
and
federal
privacy
laws,
31
within
one
week
of
an
employee
returning
from
medical
leave,
32
that
such
leave
was
taken
due
to
a
health
condition.
33
The
bill
is
enforced
by
the
director
of
the
department
of
34
inspections,
appeals,
and
licensing.
The
bill
is
enforced
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pursuant
to
Code
chapter
91A,
which
provides
for
civil
remedies
1
and
penalties.
2
The
bill
requires
the
director
to
adopt
administrative
3
rules
to
administer
the
bill,
which
may
establish
additional
4
procedures,
requirements,
and
definitions
necessary
to
5
implement
the
bill.
6
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