Relating to certain employees of the department of corrections, including collective bargaining, health insurance for a surviving spouse and children of certain employees of the department, and certain operational and employment matters involving the department

This bill relates to the department of corrections.3 is amended to designate nonsupervisory employees of the Iowa department of corrections with ongoing direct contact with inmates as public safety employees for the purposes of collective bargaining pursuant to Code chapter 20, the public employment relations Act. Code chapters and 400 include collective bargaining procedures specifically applicable to public safety employees that are not applicable to other public employees, including procedures relating to the scope of collective bargaining negotiations, arbitration procedures, and certain matters relating to city civil service employment. 13D, providing for continuation of health insurance coverage for a surviving spouse and children of certain department of corrections employees, is amended to provide that the state shall be required to pay the full cost of the health insurance. Current law provides that the state shall not be required to pay for the cost of the health insurance.108, concerning duties of the director of the department of corrections, is amended.602, subsection 2. The bill also requires that the department of corrections shall not enter into an employment contract with a person to perform a function of the department that provides the contract employee with pay or benefits in excess of pay and benefits provided an employee of the state performing similar work.