The Iowa legislature has passed a new law aimed at protecting small business workers from sudden layoffs. As of July 1st, employers in Iowa must provide 30 days notice when laying off 25 or more workers.

A similar federal law already exists for employers laying off 100 or more workers but according to Iowa Workforce Development Communications Director Kerry Koonce, it has limited utility in Iowa: “80-some percent of our businesses are less than 100 employees so they’re not covered by the [federal] law,” said Koonce.

Employers who do not provide 30 days notice of layoffs are subject to a fine of $100 per worker per day less than the required 30.