The Iowa Association of Business and Industry last week discussed, but did not change, its long-standing position opposing expansion of the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

The discussion came as the Iowa Legislature prepares to debate Senate File 224, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the classes protected by the state civil rights code. The Senate is scheduled to debate the proposal Monday. If the legislation is approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor, Iowa law would effectively catch up with non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies many businesses already have in place.

Some member businesses had asked the traditionally conservative-leaning ABI to revisit its policy stance at its March 20 quarterly meeting, and the fact that the issue was discussed at all is a sign that the 104-year-old organization is changing, said ABI President Michael Ralston.

Although the group did not ultimately vote on whether to shift its policy position, “it was an affirming discussion that was important for our organization,” Ralston said.

Ralston said about 20 of the approximately 50 business representatives present at the ABI meeting spoke up on the issue. Representatives of large employers such as Principal Financial Group Inc. and Rockwell Collins Inc. argued that the ABI should change its position, saying that non-discriminatory treatment for all individuals is a work-force development issue and that an expanded civil rights code would make Iowa a more welcoming place for young people, whom officials hope to recruit to the state to fill a projected shortage of 200,000 workers by 2012. However, others warned of increased exposure to liability that could accompany an expansion in the number of protected classes.

“Nobody wants to expand liability, because people are getting sued all the time,” Ralston said, “but nobody wants to discriminate either.”

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Chairwoman Alicia Claypool dismissed the notion that adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes would result in an onslaught of lawsuits. The group’s February survey of nine Iowa cities, 18 states and the District of Columbia, whose civil rights laws protect those classes, found that complaints based on those issues ranged from 1 percent to 3 percent of all complaints filed annually.

She said 66.6 percent of complaints received by the ICRC are screened out, mediated or otherwise settled before an investigation is initiated, which results in somewhere between six and 19 investigations completed each year.