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Bill > HF641
IA HF641
IA HF641A bill for an act relating to city civil service employees and related procedures and including effective date provisions.(Formerly HSB 82.)
summary
Introduced
02/28/2025
02/28/2025
In Committee
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
91st General Assembly
Bill Summary
This bill relates to city civil service. The bill prohibits a city with a civil service commission established under Code chapter 400 from adopting, enforcing, or otherwise administering an ordinance, motion, resolution, or amendment, or using any other means, to establish a board or other entity for the purpose of citizen review of the conduct of officers as defined under Code section 80F.1. The bill strikes language authorizing a city council to establish, by ordinance, the number of civil service commissioners at not less than three in a city having a population of more than 70,000. The bill requires a city council in a city having a population of more than 50,000 to establish, by ordinance, the number of civil service commissioners at not less than five and not more than seven. The bill modifies standards and procedures for the removal, discharge, demotion, or suspension of a city civil service employee. The bill modifies standards and procedures for appeals of such actions to a city civil service commission, including procedures and standards for hearings on such appeals and procedures applicable before such hearings are held. The bill also modifies standards and procedures for appeal of such decisions by a city civil service commission to the district court, including modifying the applicable scope of review and providing for reasonable attorney fees, expert fees, and costs and expenses to be awarded to an officer who substantially prevails in such an appeal. The bill takes effect upon enactment.
AI Summary
This bill makes several significant changes to civil service employee procedures in Iowa cities. It prohibits cities with a civil service commission from establishing citizen review boards for officer conduct. For cities with populations over 50,000, the bill now requires (instead of allows) the city council to set the number of civil service commissioners between five and seven members. The bill modifies the standards for removing, discharging, demoting, or suspending city civil service employees by requiring "just cause" and a preponderance of evidence, and introduces more specific criteria for evaluating disciplinary actions. The bill also enhances procedural protections for employees, such as requiring the city to prove charges, mandating that hearings be fair and transparent, and allowing employees defined as "officers" to request relevant documents. Additionally, the bill provides for potential attorney fees and costs for employees who substantially prevail in appeals, creates new provisions about withholding exculpatory evidence, and changes the standard of review for district court appeals to a full trial de novo. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment, signaling its urgency and importance in clarifying and potentially strengthening civil service employee rights and disciplinary procedures.
Sponsors (0)
No sponsors listed
Other Sponsors (1)
Local Government (House)
Last Action
Withdrawn. H.J. 985. (on 04/17/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF641 |
| BillText | https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/attachments/HF641.html |
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