WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HF 390

A bill for an act relating to physical examinations of personnel working in licensed or registered child care facilities.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Requires licensed child care staff in Iowa to have a preemployment physical, with periodic follow-ups every three years, including communicable disease testing.

Signed by Governor.
#childcare #laborandemployment #medicalcare
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HF 390

Summary — HF 390 (Iowa, 2025)

Status: Signed by Governor (May 19, 2025).
Statutory change: Amends Iowa Code section 237A.5(1).

Purpose

HF 390 revises and clarifies requirements for physical examinations of personnel who work in licensed or registered child care facilities in Iowa. The bill is intended to document staff health, screen for communicable diseases, and set a periodic re‑examination schedule while limiting employment exclusion based on controlled medical conditions that do not affect job performance.

Key provisions

  • Requires all personnel in licensed or registered child care facilities to have “good health as evidenced by a report following a preemployment physical examination.” (Amends § 237A.5(1).)
  • Timing of initial physical:
    • An individual must have received an initial physical examination either within the six months prior to beginning employment or within the six months following the date employment begins. (Amendment H‑1061 changed the window to six months.)
  • Content of examination:
    • The physical must include communicable disease tests performed by a licensed physician (per § 135C.1) or a licensed physician assistant (per § 148C.1).
  • Periodic follow‑up:
    • After the initial employment physical, personnel must receive a repeat physical at least once every three years.
  • Non‑discrimination for controlled conditions:
    • Controlled medical conditions that would not affect an employee’s performance in the capacity employed shall not prohibit employment.

Who is affected

  • Directly affects all staff (employees and possibly contractors) working in licensed or registered child care facilities in Iowa — employers/operators must ensure that personnel have the required physicals and documentation.
  • Indirectly affects parents and children served by these facilities through increased health screening of staff.

Implementation and legislative timeline

  • Introduced: February 13, 2025
  • House passage (with Amendment H‑1061 increasing the initial exam window to six months): March 12, 2025 (Yeas 67, Nays 28)
  • Senate passage: April 15, 2025 (Yeas 32, Nays 15)
  • Signed by Governor Kim Reynolds: May 19, 2025 (chaptered as CH. 91)

Practical implications

  • Employers may incur costs and administrative work to schedule, document, and store exam reports and communicable disease test results.
  • The three‑year re‑examination interval reduces frequency compared with more frequent testing policies some facilities may have used.
  • The explicit protection for controlled medical conditions reduces the risk of excluding otherwise capable workers due to chronic disease, aligning employment eligibility with job‑performance standards.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.