By attorneys Brad Beaman, Danielle Haindfield, Kristine Stone and Conner Wasson The Iowa Supreme Court recently issued a decision in Graphite Construction Group, Inc. (formerly Rochon Corporation of Iowa, Inc.) v. Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), which clarified retainage requirements for public construction projects under Iowa Code chapter 573....
By attorneys Emily Ellingson and Rebecca Reif After the U.S. Department of Labor issued new final regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in April of 2024, employers conducted classification and pay reviews for their workforces to come into compliance and meet the increased salary thresholds. Click here for...
By attorney Elizabeth Burnett The competitive bid and quote thresholds applicable to public improvement projects will be adjusted for public improvement projects with bid dates on or after January 1, 2025. The competitive bidding thresholds for horizontal infrastructure projects are decreasing in 2025. Horizontal infrastructure typically refers to highway, bridge,...
Jeffrey Edgar has joined the Ahlers & Cooney law firm representing clients in the Public Law Practice Area, including cities, counties, and municipal utilities. He advises clients on a variety of labor and employment related matters, and represents employers in collective bargaining contract negotiations, in cases before the Public Employment...
On August 9, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (“Eighth Circuit”) reversed a previous ruling by a federal district court judge in two cases granting a preliminary injunction against enforcement of certain provisions of Iowa Senate File 496 (“SF 496”). The preliminary injunction is now...
By attorney Rebecca Reif On July 24, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri entered a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Education’s Final Rules under Title IX, which were set to go into effect on August 1, 2024. The State of Iowa is a...
By attorneys Kristine Stone, Maria Brownell, and Miriam Van Heukelem Virtual Meeting Attendance During the 2024 legislative session, the Iowa Legislature revised the “electronic meeting” section of the Open Meetings Law, Iowa Code chapter 21. Section 21.8 of the Code now requires governmental bodies to accommodate virtual attendance by members...
By attorney Miriam Van Heukelem On July 2, 2024, the United States District Court for the District of Kansas entered a preliminary injunction against the 2024 Title IX Regulations. This ruling joins previous injunctions entered by federal courts in Louisiana and Kentucky, bringing the total number of states in which...
By attorneys Rachel Fritz, Jenna Sabroske and Conner Wasson On May 17, 2024, Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 2368 into law. The law will require school districts to publish information on all school buildings. The law also imposes new requirements related to district-owned real estate, including that school districts cannot...
By attorneys Beth Grob, Emily Kolbe, Miriam Van Heukelem, and Jim Wainwright On May 17, 2024, Governor Reynolds signed into law House File 2652, an act relating to school security. The law includes provisions related to school bonds issuances, use of SAVE funds, use of professional development funds, and school...
