SF 396 – Government Efficiency
SF 407 – Regents Transparency
SF 427 – Plumbing Licensure
HF 381 – Horse Racing
HF 586 – Administrative Rules Review Committee
HJR 13 – U.S. Senator James Harlan statue to Iowa Wesleyan College
FLOOR ACTION:
SF 396 includes a number of provisions designed to make government more efficient. Highlights include:
Government Information Technology Services –
• The office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), created as part of the 2010 Government Efficiency Act, becomes an independent agency attached to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS). Employees are subject to Chapter 20.
• Duplex Printing: Encourages all state agencies (excludes board of regents institutions) to use duplex printing and a print-on-demand strategy to reduce printing costs.
• IT (Information Technology) Device Inventory: Requires the CIO to complete an inventory of IT devices and submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2014.
• IT Coordination & Management: CIO is required to develop an IT schedule services for all agencies to comply with requirements by December 31, 2013. DAS is to submit a copy of the schedule to the Legislature by July 31, 2013. Periodic updates are required.
• Procuring IT through Leasing: In procuring IT, DAS should explore procuring through leasing.
Phased Retirement Program –
• Repeals the current phased retirement program.
• DAS is allowed to establish a phased retirement program.
• A transition provision allows those state employees currently participating in the program to continue.
Human Resources Management – Requires DAS to issue a request for proposal (RFP) for a Human Resource Management System (HRMS), including a payroll system, by December 31, 2013. HRMS is a human resource technology system which automates the core administrative functions of human resources and will replace the mainframe system that has been used to do part of this function and increase the efficiency of the Department, specifically in the areas of human resources, information technology and the state accounting enterprise..
State Physical Resources - By September 30, 2013, DAS must conduct a high-level needs analysis of state employee work stations and office standards, focusing on adequate square footage needs and creating healthy, productive and efficient work environments. Overall objectives of the analysis must include improving employee density, properly allocating space for individual and group work, improving worker health and safety, improving technology integration and improving energy efficiency and sustainability in state offices. The department must submit findings and recommendations to the Capitol Planning Commission and to the Legislature’s Fiscal Committee by October 30, 2013.
Eliminate Audit Fees – Eliminates audit fees for Mental Health Centers, Substance Abuse, Community Action Agencies.
Electronic Communications – Notwithstanding any provision of the law to the contrary, state departments and agencies shall provide departmental or agency notices or information through the department’s Internet site or through e-mail to the fullest extent possible. This electronic limitation shall not apply to department and agency communications required for purposes of pursuing legal action or in compliance with federal law. Departments shall have rulemaking authority to implement this section and to collect e-mail addresses for the purpose of electronic communication. E-mail addresses of individuals collected by agencies for the sole purpose of disseminating routine information and notices through electronic communications that are not prepared for a specific recipient are exempt from the open records law.
Public Health –
• Consolidate the System Evaluation and Quality Improvement Committee (SEQIC) and the Trauma System Advisory Council (TSAC). It is recommended this be accomplished by eliminating SEQIC in Code, adding one unduplicated member from that committee to the TSAC committee, and adding two Code sections to be sure that TSAC is still evaluating the trauma care system.
• Repeal the Code section(s) for the Hemophilia Advisory Committee. A representative from the Hemophilia community in Iowa is in the process of being appointed to the Congenital and Inherited Disorders Advisory Council (CIDAC).
Public Safety Peace Officers’ Retirement System - Allows a person who retires on disability to be able to earn up to two and one-half times the current earnable compensation of an active member at the same position held at retirement (currently set at one and one-half times).
Department of Revenue (State Debt Report, State Debt Coordinator) - The Department of Revenue shall develop and recommend legislative proposals for the continued efficiency of the functions of the office of the State Debt Coordinator established in section 421C.1, and shall prepare and file a report detailing the recommendations. The report shall be filed by the director of the Department of Revenue with the Department of Management, the Governor and the Legislature no later than January 14, 2014.
Ongoing Program Review - Adds to the duties of the Legislature’s State Government Efficiency Review Committee: “To comprehensively review, on a regular basis, the programs and projects to determine whether each program and project is effectively and efficiently meeting its needs, and whether the needs remain applicable. The review shall consider whether modifications to the program or project could better meet the needs identified in a more effective manner.”
Boards & Commissions – The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education are required to seek financial or in-kind contributions to support the Farm to School program. Strikes references to the Farm to School Council.
Obsolete Provisions –
• Repeals 15.112-15.112 (Farmworks matching funds). If the federal government funds the “farmworks” national demonstration project for distressed family farmers, the authority shall allocate to the project from the rural enterprise fund or another fund, an amount equal to four percent of the federal funding each year for a three-year period on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis with local or private contributions.
• Repeals 15C (World Trade Center) and 15D (Midwest Nuclear Compact).
E911 – Establishes (HF 290) a single point of contact for public safety communications. The joint E911 service board in each enhanced 911 service area is required to designate a person to serve as a single point-of-contact to facilitate communications. If a joint E911 service board fails to designate a single point-of-contact by Nov. 1, 2013, the chair of the joint E911 service board serves in that capacity. The E911 service board is required to submit the name and contact information for the person designated as the single-point-of-contact to the E911 program manager by Jan. 1 annually. [4/1: 50-0]
SF 407 relates to activities and duties of the state Board of Regents, the executive director of the board and the board’s professional staff. Highlights include:
• The board and its executive director and professional staff are prohibited from having any business or financial relationship with any person employed by an institution governed by the board.
• If a proposal before the board affects an institution’s academic program or if its estimated cost is $100,000 or more, the bill requires that the board hold public readings of the proposal at two regular meetings before taking action on the proposal. A quorum of the board must be physically present at these meetings, and the proposal must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the membership for any action to be taken on the proposal.
• A person who registers as a lobbyist on behalf of a person who is a member of the board or on behalf of that member’s business or employer shall not within two years after the termination of such service or employment become a lobbyist, state relations officer or governmental liaison for any office, program or department of an institution governed or administered by the board.
• At least two members of the board shall hold public forums in each of at least four geographic regions of the state quarterly. The forums are to be held outside of the metropolitan areas where the Regents institutions are located. Notice of a forum must be prominently posted on the board’s Internet site at least two weeks prior to the date of the forum.
• Each regular board meeting shall begin with at least 30 minutes for public comment if requested by members of the public. A member of the public shall be granted up to five minutes to make comments and may be granted more time by a member of the board.
• The bill reduces the target span of control aggregate ratio of supervisory employees to other employees at the institutions governed by the board from 1 to 15 to 1 to 14.
• The board must publish on its Internet site specific criteria for electing a president of a Regents university. [4/3: 49-1 (Behn “no”)]
SF 427 makes changes to Iowa’s plumbing licensure laws. The bill:
• Streamlines the licenses required to do the work already covered under the law by creating a comprehensive mechanical license. The comprehensive mechanical license will cover work currently performed under the HVAC, refrigeration and hydronic licenses. If a person wants to perform all of the work covered under the current law, a person has to get four total licenses (plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration and hydronic). Under these changes, the maximum number of licenses that someone needs to get would be two (plumbing and mechanical).
• Strikes the word “direct” and definition of “direct supervision” from the bill. The law would remain status quo regarding supervision of apprentices.
• Continues the specialization option. If someone does not want to do all types of work, they may continue to get licenses for just the work they do.
• Creates a new specialization option with a sheet metal license. Sheet metal work is currently covered with the HVAC license, but a sheet metal license would allow individuals who specialize in only sheet metal to be able to get a license more specific to their work.
• Combines HVAC and refrigeration into one license (HVAC-refrigeration).
• Streamlines the deadlines for contractors and licensees by making all licenses expire at the same time. This will help contractors who are currently keeping track of multiple expiration dates for all of their employees.
• Establishes a transition system to be complete by June 30, 2014. Anyone whose license expires between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2014, will be given a one-time free extension until June 30, 2014, so that they can renew their license under the new program.
• Clarifies which license one would receive under the new structure, based on their current license.
• Gives the Department of Public Health the authority to use emergency rules (with notice) to make these changes. This will ensure that the June 30, 2014 deadline can be met.
• Requires public input. The department will work with stakeholders as the rules are drafted.
• Streamlines paperwork by combining the paperwork for the contractor registration and contractor licensing into one application, due at the same time every three years. The contractor registration change will not impact the duties of the division of labor.
• Adopts a statewide mechanical code to help contractors and workers have more consistency in the design and building process.
• Amendments adopted to the plumbing and mechanical codes will not conflict with the state fire code. This is important because federal law requires certain fire safety standards for health care facilities and the Fire Marshal wanted to make sure we would not end up with conflicts in building requirements when a federal standard is in place.
• Locals are not required to adopt the mechanical code. If they do, they may be more restrictive. Cities will be required to notify the board of amendments, and the board will be required to post those amendments on their website. This provides an easy way for contractors to know which cities have amended the statewide codes.
• Locals are not required to inspect or take other enforcement action under the state plumbing and/or state mechanical code regardless of whether the local jurisdiction has adopted either of the codes by ordinance.
• Cities that have adopted a plumbing or mechanical code as of the effective date of this Act have until December 31, 2016, to adopt a state plumbing and/or mechanical code. [4/1: 50-0]
COMMITTEE ACTION:
HF 381 allows the Racing and Gaming Commission to establish restrictions on dosage amounts for phenylbutazone, which would result in concentrations of less than 5 micrograms of the substance or its metabolites milliliter of blood, in races recognized as graded stake thoroughbred races. The committee adopted an amendment, which allows purse money to be used for the construction, maintenance or repair of a harness track that is located in Iowa. [4/3: short form (McCoy, Feenstra, Whitver excused)]
HF 586 allows the Administrative Rules Review Committee (ARRC) to object to an emergency adopted rule and suspend it for 70 days with a two-thirds vote. Action to suspend emergency rules must be taken within 35 days of the effective date of the rule. In addition, the ARRC, upon a two-thirds vote, may suspend an emergency rule until the adjournment of the next regular session of the Legislature. This action must be taken within 35 days of the effective date of the rule. [4/3: short form (McCoy, Feenstra, Whitver excused)]
HJR 13 provides that the state will permanently loan the James Harlan statue to Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant. The college is required to provide for the perpetual exhibition, care and maintenance of the statue. The Harlan statue in the United States Capitol will be replaced with a new statue of Dr. Norman Borlaug. [4/3: short form (McCoy, Feenstra, Whitver excused)]