Under authority of the board of regents and the supervision of
its executive director, a merit system director will be appointed who will be
responsible for the development, operation and evaluation of the system in
compliance with the objectives and intent of certain provisions of Iowa Code
chapter 8A, subchapter IV, related to merit staff employment and board of
regents policies and rules. At each board of regents institution the head
thereof will designate an administrator to serve as resident director of the
system. The resident director will be responsible through the chief executive
at the institution for human resources administration in accordance with these
rules. The merit system director shall review the operation of the merit system
at each of the institutions and will be responsible for the direction of the
merit system and have the authority to ensure the administration of the merit
system consistent with the provision of these rules.
(1)
Records and reports. The
resident directors will maintain appropriate documentation on each employee
that will include a record of all personnel transactions affecting the
individual's employment. The resident directors will also maintain records on
operations conducted under these rules and will periodically as requested
report a summary of such operations to the merit system director and in
addition will prepare other reports as may be required by the merit system
director to indicate compliance with applicable regents and state requirements
and federal standards. The resident director will establish, in cooperation
with employing departments, a program that will provide for the regular
evaluation, at least annually, of the qualifications and performance of all
employees consistent with board and institutional policies.
(2)
Nondiscrimination. All
programs and transactions administered under these rules will be conducted on
the basis of merit and fitness without discrimination or favor because of
political opinions or affiliations, nor any discrimination protections by law,
regulation, or board of regents or institutional policies.
(3)
Political activity. No
merit employees covered under this system will engage in any partisan political
activity that is prohibited by law; employees will have the right to freely
express their views as private citizens and to cast their vote; coercion of
employees for political purposes and the use of employees' positions for
political purposes will be prohibited.
Those employees who are by law subject to the provisions of the
federal Hatch Act and successor legislation will be informed of such provisions
by the resident director at their institution and will be required to adhere
thereto.
(4)
Revisions and additions. In accordance with the provisions of
Iowa Code chapter 8A, these rules may be revised at any time. In addition,
supplementary rules subject to Iowa Code chapter 17A not inconsistent with
these rules may be made applicable to any department, program or service,
whenever such additional merit system provisions are required as a condition of
eligibility for federal funds.
(5)
Suspension of merit increases. During any period of time when
merit increases provided under these rules are temporarily suspended by
legislative action, the rules providing for such increases shall be suspended
for the duration of that legislative mandate. The merit system director shall
provide for the administration of such
suspension and shall ensure the
maintenance of necessary information at each
board of regents institution as
would be necessary for reinstatement of such increases following the temporary
suspension. Reinstatement of such increases shall be authorized by the
board
upon the recommendation of the merit system director and may include a delay in
increases to promote equity among employees. Any such delay, however, cannot
exceed one year and must be applied uniformly throughout the system to all
employees with like performance and length of employment in the system, or in
classification of
position, or other specified categorization.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section
262.9.
