According to a section of Iowa code that was championed by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and was passed in 2017, a city cannot pass any ordinance exceeding or conflicting with federal or state laws relating to hiring practices. A lawsuit filed against the City of Waterloo by the ABI alleges the city is in violation of that state law with its controversial “ban the box” ordinance. Approved by the Waterloo City Council in a 4-2 vote in October 2019, the “Fair Chance Initiative” aims to prevent city and many private employers from asking job applicants about criminal history until the end of the hiring process.
