Twenty-six Republicans voted to approve the bill . Twenty-one Democrats and Republican Sen. Jack Rife of Durant, chairman of the Business and Labor Committee, voted against it. Business groups say the law is so restrictive it compromises work-place safety. They also say it hinders job growth in Iowa. As approved by the Senate, the bill would, for the first time, permit random testing or workers for drug and alcohol use.
Federal law permits random testing for some workers in safety-sensitive jobs.
The bill also liberalizes the authority of employers to test prospective and newly hired employees. It prohibits the use of blood as a testing medium, a concession to those who fear genetic testing could lead to future discrimination in employment and insurance. A positive test or failure to surrender a sample for testing could lead to firing, the bill says. Employers with 50 or more workers would be required to help pay for the rehabilitation of uninsured alcohol abusers. Employers would not be liable for rehabilitation costs of workers shown to be abusing illegal drugs.