Lawmakers on Wednesday mulled legislation that would freeze Iowa's minimum wage at $7.25 and strip away the ability of local counties and cities to set their own wage limit.
If signed into law, House Study Bill 92 would immediately roll back minimum wage increases approved in Polk, Johnson, Wapello and Linn counties. The bill, which remains in subcommittee, was introduced by Jake Highfill, R-Johnston.
Lawmakers debated the measure in a subcommittee meeting Wednesday morning. The bill declares previous local minimum wage ordinances "void and unenforceable" and bars local governments from addressing a host of other labor issues.
It bans cities or counties from passing ordinances that exceed restrictions under federal or state law regarding leave, hiring practices, employment benefits and scheduling practices.
It also amends the Iowa Civil Rights Act, forbidding any local civil rights ordinances that afford protections beyond those in state and federal law. That would ostensibly ban local governments from approving deeper protections for certain protected classes such as racial minorities or gays and lesbians.
The bill also says that counties and cities may not pass stricter laws regarding the sale or package of consumer merchandise. That would ban cities from passing ordinances banning the use of plastic bags at the grocery store. Dubuque city officials are considering a ban or surcharge on plastic shopping bags to encourage the use of reusable bags or more biodegradable products, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported.
Amy Nielsen, a Democratic House member and former North Liberty mayor, called the bill a broad overreach of state authority.
"I'm speaking as a former mayor," she said. "And on behalf of other local elected officials, I would like to say I'm quite frankly offended that you don't trust us to make the decisions for our own community."
In recent years, some cities and states have passed laws requiring employers to provide certain benefits such as sick time pay and paid family leave. Under this bill, such changes could only be made at the Statehouse.
Highfill says his bill isn't taking away local control from counties and cities. Rather, he said, it formalizes what Republicans believe the law has always intended: that local governments do not have the authority to legislate on labor issues such as the minimum wage.
"Contract law is state law or federal law," Highfill said.
In October 2016, after months of sometimes rancorous debate, the Polk County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to increase the minimum wage. After several rounds of increases, it would reach $10.75 by 2019, with further increases adjusted for inflation.
County officials blamed congressional and legislative inaction for pushing them to take action on the local level. Tom Hockensmith, the Democratic supervisor who led that effort, often said he hoped the local ordinances popping up across Iowa would prompt the legislature to consider a statewide increase in the minimum wage.
This bill was not what he had in mind.
"To pass a pre-emption bill without an increase in the minimum wage statewide is an embarrassment to our state," he said. "When we know that all the states adjacent except Wisconsin already have a minimum wage higher than us, this is really backward. Like I said, it’s just embarrassing."
Though 29 states have raised their wages above the $7.25 federal minimum, Iowa's minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2008.
Lobbyists for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and the Iowa Restaurant Association said they supported the bill, while representatives of local governments opposed it, saying it was an affront to home rule.
Labor advocates packed the house lounge Wednesday morning to speak out against the measure.
"These people raised the wage because they understood that their people needed a raise in the wage," said John Noble, a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "For you to counteract that and for some of you to talk about being the party of small, local government,represents sort of for me the deepest of hypocrisy."
http://www.press-citizen.com/story/...m-wage-725-rescinds-local-increases/97625588/
If signed into law, House Study Bill 92 would immediately roll back minimum wage increases approved in Polk, Johnson, Wapello and Linn counties. The bill, which remains in subcommittee, was introduced by Jake Highfill, R-Johnston.
Lawmakers debated the measure in a subcommittee meeting Wednesday morning. The bill declares previous local minimum wage ordinances "void and unenforceable" and bars local governments from addressing a host of other labor issues.
It bans cities or counties from passing ordinances that exceed restrictions under federal or state law regarding leave, hiring practices, employment benefits and scheduling practices.
It also amends the Iowa Civil Rights Act, forbidding any local civil rights ordinances that afford protections beyond those in state and federal law. That would ostensibly ban local governments from approving deeper protections for certain protected classes such as racial minorities or gays and lesbians.
The bill also says that counties and cities may not pass stricter laws regarding the sale or package of consumer merchandise. That would ban cities from passing ordinances banning the use of plastic bags at the grocery store. Dubuque city officials are considering a ban or surcharge on plastic shopping bags to encourage the use of reusable bags or more biodegradable products, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported.
Amy Nielsen, a Democratic House member and former North Liberty mayor, called the bill a broad overreach of state authority.
"I'm speaking as a former mayor," she said. "And on behalf of other local elected officials, I would like to say I'm quite frankly offended that you don't trust us to make the decisions for our own community."
In recent years, some cities and states have passed laws requiring employers to provide certain benefits such as sick time pay and paid family leave. Under this bill, such changes could only be made at the Statehouse.
Highfill says his bill isn't taking away local control from counties and cities. Rather, he said, it formalizes what Republicans believe the law has always intended: that local governments do not have the authority to legislate on labor issues such as the minimum wage.
"Contract law is state law or federal law," Highfill said.
In October 2016, after months of sometimes rancorous debate, the Polk County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to increase the minimum wage. After several rounds of increases, it would reach $10.75 by 2019, with further increases adjusted for inflation.
County officials blamed congressional and legislative inaction for pushing them to take action on the local level. Tom Hockensmith, the Democratic supervisor who led that effort, often said he hoped the local ordinances popping up across Iowa would prompt the legislature to consider a statewide increase in the minimum wage.
This bill was not what he had in mind.
"To pass a pre-emption bill without an increase in the minimum wage statewide is an embarrassment to our state," he said. "When we know that all the states adjacent except Wisconsin already have a minimum wage higher than us, this is really backward. Like I said, it’s just embarrassing."
Though 29 states have raised their wages above the $7.25 federal minimum, Iowa's minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2008.
Lobbyists for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and the Iowa Restaurant Association said they supported the bill, while representatives of local governments opposed it, saying it was an affront to home rule.
Labor advocates packed the house lounge Wednesday morning to speak out against the measure.
"These people raised the wage because they understood that their people needed a raise in the wage," said John Noble, a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "For you to counteract that and for some of you to talk about being the party of small, local government,represents sort of for me the deepest of hypocrisy."
http://www.press-citizen.com/story/...m-wage-725-rescinds-local-increases/97625588/
