A bill for an act relating to employment matters involving public employees including collective bargaining, educator employment matters, personnel records and settlement agreements, city civil service requirements, and health insurance matters, and including effective date, applicability, and transition provisions.

SF 196 revises Iowa's public employee collective bargaining rules. It requires public employers and employee organizations to negotiate in good faith over wages, hours, benefits, and other terms (like dues checkoff and grievance procedures), though it does not compel either side to agree to proposals. The bill also establishes stricter decertification rules: if a union is found in contempt or convicted of violating bargaining rules, it is immediately decertified and barred from representing employees for 12 months. Additionally, it sets collective bargaining agreements at a maximum two-year term and adjusts election timelines for union representation. The bill directly affects public employees (including educators), their unions, and city civil service systems across Iowa.