Week 13 at the Capitol is in the Books |
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The Iowa legislature is inching closer to the end of the legislative session and is less than two weeks away from reaching the 100th calendar day of the 2022 legislative session. Lawmakers in both the Iowa House and Senate have been working diligently on passing bills and this is the time of the year when they start addressing the budget.
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House Advances Budget Bills |
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The other budget bills are:
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The next step is for the full Iowa Senate to take action on these budget bills. You can read more about some of the key issues ABI has been working on below. |
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Status of ABI Workforce Priorities – Governor’s Workforce Bills |
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As the Iowa legislative session draws to a close, the Iowa House and Iowa Senate are moving significant pieces of workforce legislation that contain key ABI public policy priorities. Gov. Kim Reynolds also requested the legislature act on these priorities during her Condition of the State address in January. Both the House and Senate have acted on legislation to reform our current unemployment system by refocusing the system to get individuals who are unemployed back into the workforce quickly. The legislation would also improve the solvency of the unemployment trust fund by shortening the unemployment benefits period. Currently, the House and Senate differ on whether a person in their first week of unemployment should be eligible for benefits, or if Iowa should join the 43 states that withhold benefits until week two. HF 2355, as amended by the Senate, is back in the House, and we expect legislative leaders and Gov. Reynolds to find common ground on the legislation as the session winds down.
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Pharmacy Benefits Manager Bill Remains Under Consideration in Iowa Senate |
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For many weeks, the legislature has considered legislation to regulate the relationship between local independent pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who work to drive down the cost of pharmacy benefit plans by negotiating best prices for pharmaceuticals from drug manufacturers and their wholesalers on the one hand, while managing payments and practices of local pharmacies on the other.
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Tax Exemption on Aircraft Repair Parts and Labor Lands on Governor Reynolds’ Desk |
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After years in a holding pattern, the legislature has acted on SF 2370, which is a bill that would lift the taxes currently collected on repair parts and labor for general aviation airplanes. For years, there has been no such tax on commercial aircraft. This has put Iowa at a disadvantage when compared to neighboring states because they have no such tax. As a result, Iowa-based aircraft have been seeking repairs in other jurisdictions. Furthermore, several of Iowa’s community colleges that offer training in aircraft repair have reported that many of their graduates are recruited away to no-tax states for employment. The hope is this legislation will reverse both of these trends. ABI was pleased to support this legislation and thanks ABI member Elliott Aviation for leading the charge. The bill awaits Gov. Reynolds’ signature and the change in taxation will occur July 1st. Read more from Radio Iowa.
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Register for Regional Meetings Today |
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Every year, following the conclusion of the legislative session, ABI’s public policy team travels across the state to brief ABI members about the results of the legislative session from the perspective of the business community. These meetings present a great opportunity for members to learn more and provide feedback to ABI staff. This is also the first step in the process of developing ABI’s 2023 legislative priorities. |
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Three of the five meetings scheduled in May have been confirmed:
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You can register for the meetings by clicking here. ABI’s public policy team will also be in Cedar Rapids and Fairfield. Watch future newsletters for more information on those dates and times.
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Iowa Supreme Court Ruling on Work Comp Shoulder Case |
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The main ruling, Chavez v. MS Technology LLC et al., is favorable to employers because it adopts a broad definition of shoulder.
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Opportunity to Submit Agenda Items for Air Quality Meeting |
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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Air Quality Bureau is giving stakeholders the opportunity to submit agenda items for the next client contact meeting, which will take place on Thursday, May 19th at 1:00 pm. The meeting will be held virtually and is expected to focus on current and upcoming air program issues and changes. Submitted agenda items should include the name of the item, who plans to lead the discussion of the item and an estimate of how much time it will take to discuss the issue. The full agenda will be sent out two weeks prior to the meeting. The deadline for submitting agenda items is April 21. Proposals and questions concerning the meeting should be sent to Jessica Reese McIntyre.
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1st Quarter IIPAC Newsletter Available Now |
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Near the end of each quarter, IIPAC contributors receive a comprehensive newsletter in their inboxes. ABI’s public policy team offers IIPAC investors exclusive political analysis, election previews and other valuable information. The first-quarter newsletter recently published provided an in-depth preview of the lay of the land for Iowa House and Senate races. If you’re a 2022 IIPAC investor and didn’t receive it, please contact Brad Hartkopf. If you haven’t invested in IIPAC yet this year and would like to read this comprehensive analysis, invest in the vehicle that helps ABI support pro-business candidates, and you’ll receive it today.
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GOTV 2022 - Use Iowa Votes As a Resource |
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As our state gets closer to our June 7, 2022 Primary Election, this is a reminder that ABI members can turn to IA Votes as a resource. IA Votes is a state partner of the Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) and is a non-partisan effort that helps employers communicate with employees and their community about policies important to business and industry. If you missed last week’s newsletter, you can learn about the absentee ballot request period here. The Iowa Secretary of State’s office has also posted the candidate list that members can access.
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$100 Million Investment to Promote Iowa |
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This week, Gov. Reynolds announced an investment of $100 million for Destination Iowa. Destination Iowa “will provide grants to help communities move forward on transformational, shovel-ready attractions,” according to a release from Gov. Reynolds’ office. The funding stems from the American Rescue Plan Act.
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Federal Spotlight: Senate Reaches Tentative Agreement on Re-purposed COVID-19 Aid |
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On Monday, key lawmakers in the upper chamber declared that they struck a deal on additional COVID-19 aid. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), the lead negotiator for the minority party, praised the deal, as it will provide $10 billion in unspent COVID-19 funds on therapeutics, the purchase of vaccines, access to testing and other COVID-19-related needs. The Biden Administration had initially asked for $22.5 billion, which included $5 billion in global health funding, but the agreement did not include those requests. Both chambers must approve the bill before it reaches the president’s desk.
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Federal Spotlight: U.S. Senate Confirms Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to SCOTUS |
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On Thursday, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Joe Biden nominated Judge Jackson to fill the seat vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer in February. Breyer announced his retirement earlier this year.
Judge Jackson previously served as a U.S. District Judge from 2013 - 2021 on the District Court of the District of Columbia, and is currently a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is a Harvard Law School graduate and was also a public defender.
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Replay: Weekly Business Report with BuyABI Partner, Storey Kenworthy |
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Lincoln Dix, Vice President of Storey Kenworthy, joins ABI Executive Vice President Nicole Crain to discuss the company's partnership with the BuyABI program and how ABI members can benefit. |
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#ABICON22 Trivia: Win a Free Conference Registration |
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In order to highlight some of the great agenda items in store for this year’s conference and to reminisce on past conferences, ABI is having a social media trivia contest through the month of April. Each week, a trivia question will be posted on our social pages. At the end of the month, one lucky participant will receive a free registration to the 2022 conference. |
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Do you have expertise on issues important to Iowa manufacturers? Share your insight with attendees at the 2022 Manufacturing Conference on October 5. ABI is now accepting proposals for workshops. |
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From the Desk of Mike Ralston |
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Before I write these columns each month, I look at past columns to see what was on the minds of ABI members in previous years. The last two April columns (2020 and 2021) were noteworthy, because they had one focus, the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 is the second global pandemic in ABI’s century-plus existence. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the first. Just as was the case with that world-wide illness, ABI has weathered COVID-19. The pandemic may not quite be over, but thanks to terrific leadership by ABI members, the association remains strong and will emerge better than ever.
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That’s not just rhetoric. Metrics confirm it.
For the association, however, the real story of the pandemic is what ABI members and their employees have done to help their fellow Iowans. Of course the health and safety of your own employees and their families has been your leading priority. Following that, assisting others has been the focus.
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Click on the headlines to learn about the latest ABI member news. |
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Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 11am-5:30pm | Hilton Des Moines Downtown |
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