“If Dems Were in Control” will be a feature here at The Iowa Standard that looks at some of the bills proposed by Democrats in the Iowa Legislature. It should provide you with satisfaction that Republicans control state government.
Senate File 223 was sponsored by all 18 Senate Democrats. It’s an act relating to wage discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965.
The bill would block an employer from requiring an employee refrain from disclosing, discussing or sharing information about the amount of the employee’s wages, benefits or other compensation, or from inquiring, discussing, or sharing information about any other employee’s wages, benefits or other compensation as a condition of employment.
Additionally, the bill would prohibit an employer from seeking salary history information from a potential employee as a condition of a job interview or employment. It also blocks an employer from releasing the salary history of any current or former employee to a prospective employer in response to a request as part of an interview or hiring process without written authorization from such current or former employee.
It would also create an equal pay task force to study the extent of discriminatory wage disparities in the public and private sectors, the factors that cause such disparities, the consequences of such disparities and actions likely to lead to the elimination and prevention of such disparities.
This is not nearly the most extreme bill from Democrats in the Iowa Legislature, but it would clearly create hurdles for employers who are a large reason for Iowa’s economic success.
