Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Senate File 412 - Introduced
                                  SENATE FILE 412
                                  BY BOULTON, T. TAYLOR, KINNEY,
                                      BOLKCOM, BISIGNANO, CELSI,
                                      TRONE GARRIOTT, J. SMITH,
                                      GIDDENS, PETERSEN, MATHIS,
                                      LYKAM, RAGAN, WAHLS,
                                      QUIRMBACH, JOCHUM, HOGG,
                                      and DOTZLER
                            A BILL FOR
An Act establishing an essential worker hazard pay grant fund
  and program to be administered by the economic development
  authority, and including effective date provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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    Section 1. ESSENTIAL WORKER HAZARD PAY GRANT FUND AND
 PROGRAM.
    1. As used in this section unless the context otherwise
 requires:
    a. “Authority” means the economic development authority.
    b. “Essential worker” means the same as essential critical
 infrastructure workers identified in the advisory memorandum
 issued on December 16, 2020, by the acting director of the
 federal cyber security and infrastructure security agency,
 United States department of homeland security, on ensuring
 essential critical infrastructure workers’ ability to work
 during the COVID-19 response.
    c. “Fund” means the essential worker hazard pay grant fund.
    d. “Hazard pay” means additional pay above an essential
 worker’s normal base pay including a shift differential or
 other premium pay.
    e. “Program” means the essential worker hazard pay grant
 program.
    2. a. The fund is created in the state treasury under
 the control of the authority and consists of any moneys
 appropriated to the fund by the general assembly and any other
 moneys available and obtained or accepted by the authority
 for placement in the fund. The fund shall be used to provide
 grants as provided under the program. The authority shall
 use any moneys specifically appropriated for purposes of this
 section only for the purposes of the program.
    b. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund
 that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the
 fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain available for
 expenditure for the purposes designated until the close of the
 succeeding fiscal year.
    3. The authority shall establish and administer the program
 for the purpose of awarding grants to eligible businesses that
 employed essential workers at any time on or after March 17,
 2020. The authority shall establish eligibility criteria for
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                                         S.F. 412
 the program by rule. A grant awarded to a business shall be
 used only for the purpose of paying hazard pay to all of the
 business’s essential workers that have been required to work
 at any time on or after March 17, 2020, in a position or in an
 environment that exposed the worker to the risk of COVID-19.
    4. A business seeking a grant under this section shall make
 application to the authority in the manner prescribed by the
 authority by rule.
    5. Subject to funding, the authority shall award grants
 under this section on a first-come, first-served basis.
    6. A business shall not be awarded more than one grant under
 the program.
    7. A business that is awarded a grant under this section
 may apply for financial assistance under other programs
 administered by the authority.
    8. The authority shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A
 as necessary to administer this section. The authority may
 adopt rules on an emergency basis as provided in section 17A.4,
 subsection 3, and section 17A.5, subsection 2, to administer
 this section and the rules shall be effective immediately upon
 filing unless a later date is specified in the rules. Any
 emergency rules adopted in accordance with this section shall
 also be published as a notice of intended action as provided
 in section 17A.4, subsection 1.
    Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate
 importance, takes effect upon enactment.
                           EXPLANATION
         The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
          the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
    This bill establishes an essential worker hazard pay grant
 fund (fund) and program (program) to be administered by the
 economic development authority (authority).
    “Essential worker” is defined in the bill as essential
 critical infrastructure workers identified in the advisory
 memorandum issued on December 16, 2020, by the acting director
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                                S.F. 412
 of the federal cyber security and infrastructure security
 agency, United States department of homeland security, on
 ensuring essential critical infrastructure workers’ ability to
 work during the COVID-19 response.
    The bill creates the fund in the state treasury under
 the control of the authority, which consists of any moneys
 appropriated to the fund by the general assembly and any other
 moneys available and obtained or accepted by the authority for
 placement in the fund. The fund must be used to provide grants
 as provided under the program. The authority must use any
 moneys specifically appropriated for purposes of the program
 only for the purposes of the program. The appropriated moneys
 that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the
 fiscal year do not revert but remain available for expenditure
 for the program until the close of the succeeding fiscal year.
    The authority must establish the program for the purpose of
 providing grants to eligible businesses that employed essential
 workers at any time on or after March 17, 2020. A business must
 use a grant only for the purpose of paying hazard pay to all
 of the business’s essential workers that have been required to
 work at any time on or after March 17, 2020, in a position or in
 an environment that exposed the essential worker to the risk of
 COVID-19. “Hazard pay” is defined in the bill as additional
 pay above an essential worker’s normal base pay including a
 shift differential or other premium pay. The authority must
 establish eligibility criteria for the program by rule.
    The bill requires a business seeking a grant under the
 program to apply to the authority in the manner prescribed by
 the authority by rule. Subject to funding, the authority must
 award grants on a first-come, first-served basis. A business
 that is awarded a grant may apply for financial assistance
 under other programs administered by the authority.
    The bill requires the authority to adopt rules as necessary
 to administer the bill, and allows the authority to adopt rules
 on an emergency basis.
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                            S.F. 412
 The bill takes effect upon enactment.
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