On March 28, 2018, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed an amendment to the state’s drug testing law, lowering the threshold for alcohol testing from .04 to .02 effective July 1, 2018.
Considered one of the more difficult drug and alcohol testing statues to navigate (along with Minnesota and Maine), Iowa includes numerous requirements that employers must follow to lawfully conduct pre-employment and employment drug and alcohol tests.
Requirements include, but are not limited to:
- Employers must implement a written policy that is distributed and made available to employees and applicants.
- Employers must establish an awareness program informing employees of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
- Supervisory personnel involved in drug and alcohol testing submit to two hours of initial training and a minimum of one hour of additional training annually.
- If the employer has 50+ employees in Iowa, and an employee with a confirmed positive alcohol test (1)has worked at least 12 of the preceding 18 months (2)agrees to rehabilitation and (3) has not previously violated the employer’s substance abuse policy – the employee must be given an opportunity to participate in rehab in lieu of termination or other discipline.
Disclaimer
This information is provided by JDP for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. JDP is not legal counsel and cannot provide legal advice. Anyone reading this content should work with counsel to determine how legislative updates affect their employment screening program.