The Iowa General Assembly is considering two bills - Senate File 2332 (successor to Senate Study Bill 3260) and House Study Bill 739 - that would require employers to provide 60 days advance notice to workers facing a mass layoff. The proposed bills would apply to employers of 25 or more workers who lay off 25 or more employees. Under the federal WARN Act, advance notice is required when employers of 100 or more workers layoff 50 or more employees. Noting the lower thresholds, the Daily Iowan quotes state Sen. Dick Dearden as follows:
"In a small community, it's a big thing," said Sen. Dick Dearden, D-Des Moines. "In Des Moines, 100 people get laid off, that happens every day. But in a smaller community, 50 people get laid off, it can really devastate the community." (See link to Daily Iowan news article here).
The Senate bill was approved in committee and is pending before the full Senate. A number of proposed amendments have been filed, most notably an amendment that would exempt new businesses and an amendment that would exempt large employers from the bill's notice requirements.
Update: As of June 12, 2008, the study bills remain pending before the labor committees of the House and Senate.