State
1. Tax Reform
—
Monitoring,
UNCHANGED
·
Waiting on joint budget targets to move forward
·
SF2383
:Tax Reform-- OPPOSE, Passed out of Senate on a 29-21 vote
· Would increase taxes on Credit Union but cuts $1.2 billion in taxes over 5 years
·
HSB671
: Governor's Tax Bill-- UNDECIDED
· Does NOT increase taxes for Credit Unions but cuts $1.7 billion in taxes over 6 years
· Total State budget is ~$7 billion
2. Telephone Property Tax:
SF2388
—
Support,
UPDATED
· House subcommittee recommended passage on 4.4.18
· Passed out of Senate on 39 to 8 vote with amendment S5189: would delay portions of implementation by 3 years
· Would change property tax structure for telephone companies from an outdated unit valuation to an assessment mechanism that is neutral, competitive, simple & consistent
3. Utility Matters:
SF2311
—Monitoring,
UPDATED
· 16 amendments filed this week
· Passed by the Senate (with Amendments) on 3.6.18
·
Sections 3-7, 10, 11, 13 and 16 are still good policy changes for our REC members
· Provides regulatory parity and clarifies IUB oversight of locally rate-regulated utilities
· Includes several code “clean-up” provisions helping streamline the statute for locally rate-regulated utilities
4. Property Tax Backfill:
HSB678
—Monitoring,
UPDATED
· P
hases out the property tax backfill payments to local/county governments
· P
ut in place in 2013 as property tax reform, replacing decline in revenue
·
FY 2018, reduces payments from ~$150 million to $100 million, then an additional $25 million each fiscal year until 2021, leaving $25 million as the new backfill budget
5. Industrial Hemp:
SF2398
—Monitoring,
UPDATED
· Passed out of Senate unanimously on 4.4.18-- sent to House
· Provides provisions for statewide industrial hemp research, marketing and enforcement
6. Relating to Water Quality:
HF2440
—Monitoring,
UNCHANGED
· Passed out of committee-- placed on unfinished business
· Strikes a requirement for drainage districts to use edge-of-field infrastructure
The Governor held a Future Ready Iowa Summit this week. Pictures from the event are on our
Facebook Page
. Let Katie know if you have any questions on starting a registered apprenticeship.
