Unemployment cuts and garbage searches are some of the new Iowa laws going into effect Friday
Ian RichardsonMajor cuts to Iowa unemployment benefits, loosened regulations for child care providers and expanded rights for mobile home park residents will begin Friday.
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed well over 100 laws following this year's legislative session. July 1, the start of the state's new fiscal year, is the day that many of the measures will go into effect.
The new laws touch several aspects of Iowans’ daily lives. Here are eight of them.
►More: Iowa's legislative session is over. Here's what passed — and what didn't
Unemployment benefits cut
The maximum period for Iowans to receive unemployment benefits will drop from 26 weeks to 16 under a new law that also could require Iowans receiving benefits to take lower-paying jobs sooner.
With the new law, Iowa will join the states that cut off benefits the earliest. Most states offer up to 26 weeks while only a half-dozen offer 16 or fewer weeks.
The new law also will lower the threshold for what's considered "suitable work" compared to the worker's salary in a previous job. Iowa has not required workers to accept a job for less pay until after their fifth week on unemployment, but the new law will lower that to one week and continue ratcheting down the percentage of the employee's wage that is considered suitable.
Republicans have said the law is a way to encourage Iowans to take jobs sooner while lowering taxes on businesses, which fund the state’s unemployment trust fund. Democrats opposed it, saying it attacks workers who have lost their jobs.
Previously:Iowa unemployment benefits cut by 10 weeks after Kim Reynolds signs bill
Child care regulations loosened
Multiple changes to Iowa’s child care laws will provide what Republicans believe will be help to providers facing staffing and funding needs.
Starting Friday, 16- and 17-year-olds can begin working in child care centers without supervision — a move that Republicans said will give providers more staffing flexibility.
That same day, families receiving state child care aid can choose to make additional, private payments to their providers to make up for the lower rate paid by the state.
Republicans have said the second of the two proposals will make the state’s assistance program more flexible by letting families negotiate rates with providers who otherwise don't accept families who participate in the program.
Democrats largely opposed both measures, saying the first could cause safety concerns and that the second is inadequate to provide relief since many parents on state child care assistance can’t afford to pay extra for care. The state should instead increase its investment to fill the gap, they said.
Reynolds also signed legislation that will increase the number of young children child care center staff can watch. That law, which increases the state's children-to-staff ratios for 2- and 3-year-olds, went into effect in mid-June.
Previously:Iowa child care centers can now watch more children under new law signed by Kim Reynolds
Warrantless garbage searches legalized
A new law that seeks to overturn an Iowa Supreme Court decision last year banning warrantless police searches of garbage also is going into effect.
The new law says people have "no reasonable expectation of privacy" for garbage placed outside their residence for waste collection "in a publicly accessible area," such as a street curb.
Instead, the law will designate the garbage abandoned property, allowing law enforcement to search and seize it without a search warrant, according to the law.
The Iowa Supreme Court decision in a 4-3 June 2021 opinion found that under the Iowa Constitution, police must obtain a warrant to search a suspect's trash for evidence while it's on the suspect's property.
The law has drawn concern over whether it is constitutional in light of the Supreme Court decision. Rep. Mary Wolfe, D-Clinton, said during debate on the bill that the proper avenue to reverse the court decision is to amend the state's constitution, not pass a new law. However, Republicans said they believe the law will be effective in making the change.
Previously:Iowa police may start looking through your trash without a warrant under this new law
Mobile home laws changed
Several portions of a new law affecting tenants and owners of Iowa mobile home parks will fully go into effect, although some other portions have already become law.
The new law comes after years of residents asking for more protections from dramatic rent hikes that come with little warning. Some proponents have said the law strikes a balance between helping tenants and not placing too much of a burden on property owners.
But the long-awaited legislation falls far short on many key elements those residents have asked for, such as provisions that would limit the frequency or amount of rent increases.
Among the new changes will be increased protections against retaliation for tenants of mobile home parks, and a requirement that landlords notify tenants of utility rate increases at least 90 days in advance, unless the owner doesn't receive 90 days' notice from the utility company.
One major change that had already gone into effect is a law extending the required notice for rent increases to 90 days from 60.
Previously:Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law granting more protections to Iowa mobile home park residents
Food delivery services regulated
A new law going into effect will require third-party food delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash to comply with specific safety criteria while delivering orders.
The legislation comes after leaders of the Iowa Restaurant Association said their members have faced issues with seeing their menus and images online without permission. Since customers place orders through the delivery services, not the restaurant, it's difficult for restaurants to know who is ordering and ensure the food makes it to the customer safely, said association President and CEO Jessica Dunker.
The law outlines a system for third-party delivery services to enter into agreements with restaurants to arrange for delivery or pickup of orders and includes several safety regulations that services must follow.
Abortion alternatives program launched
The state budget for next fiscal year includes a section that would fund organizations that provide services for pregnant women, including advocating that they choose not to get an abortion. The organizations would need to “have a commitment to promoting healthy pregnancies and childbirth instead of abortion.”
Those resources would include nutritional services, education, housing, counseling, employment assistance, adoption education and other services, child care assistance and physical items like cribs, car seats, clothing, diapers and formula.
The bill includes $500,000 for this purpose.
Republicans said they believe the programs would be an additional tool to meet the needs of pregnant women and new mothers, while some Democrats opposed the legislation, saying Iowa already has existing programs that provide support. They also pointed to a similar Texas program that they said has has seen high-profile instances of fraud.
Educational institutions, child care centers banned from mandating COVID-19 vaccine
This new law exempts students who are enrolled in K-12 schools, colleges and child care centers from requirements to be vaccinated for COVID-19 until July 1, 2029.
State law already prohibits mandatory disclosure of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry into a government building, including public schools, according to the Iowa Department of Education. Since the COVID-19 vaccine isn’t listed on the required vaccines for students, schools “are not advised” to ask about a student’s status, department spokesperson Heather Doe said in an email earlier this year.
It also will apply to accredited private colleges.
The new law comes as COVID-19 vaccines have recently become available for children as young as 6 months.
Public schools required to conduct radon testing
Another new law taking effect Friday will require public schools to test for radon every five years. Radon is an invisible, odorless radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has placed all of Iowa's counties in the category of highest average indoor radon potential, according to a report from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.
Under the new law, schools must complete one short-term test by July 1, 2027, and continue testing at least once every five years. The law establishes a process for additional testing and mitigation if the level of radon in a school building exceeds EPA-recommended levels. All new school buildings must use radon-resistant construction practices.
Ian Richardson covers the Iowa Statehouse for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at irichardson@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8254, or on Twitter at @DMRIanR.