Travel Federation of Iowa
2020 Legislative Update | Issue #4 | March 8, 2020
District Leaders,

At this stage in the session, it is critical that we start to get grassroots support coming into the Legislature from YOU on two key issues: the 30 to 90 day hotel/motel bill and the Invest in Iowa Act. Details about both of the issue are in this newsletter.

Please take a moment to email your Senator and Representative on these two issues. If you don't know who represents you, then click HERE .
The Iowa Legislature has reached the end of the eighth week of the 2020 legislative session. We are over the halfway mark, and Monday, March 9th will mark Session Day 57 of the 100-day scheduled session. 
 
Week ten is the second funnel, so this week and next will be crazy busy with floor debate, subcommittee meetings, and committee meetings to keep policy bills alive. For a policy bill to survive the second funnel, it needs to be passed by the relevant committee in the chamber opposite from where it was introduced (for example, an education policy bill introduced in the House would have to pass out of the Senate Education Committee by close of business Friday, March 20th). Bills that deal with taxes or spending are exempt from the funnel and are alive until the end of the session.
 
Before we even get into the funnel week in Week 10, we have two big things occurring in Week 9:
 
The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) meets on Thursday, March 12th to look at receipts for the current Fiscal Year (2020) and make predictions about the upcoming fiscal outlook. The Legislature will be required to put together their budget based on the lower of the two REC estimates from this meeting and the one that occurred last December.  
 
On Friday of this week, we reach the deadline for legislative candidates to submit their signatures and paperwork to run in their party primaries in June. Senator Joni Ernst submitted her signatures last Monday, and several congressional and state legislative candidates have been doing the same over the last few weeks. That deadline will also give us a clear picture as to how many legislative retirements we will see this year.
Invest In Iowa Senate Subcommittee, March 4, 2020
InvestInIowaSenateSubcommitteeonMarch42020
Invest In Iowa Act
In the midst of all of this, the Legislature is beginning to make decisions behind the scenes about what will get passed this session and what will get thrown overboard for discussion by a different General Assembly. The single biggest question, one that affects most of the budget bills that need to be assembled by the Legislature, is whether or not the Legislature will pass the Governor’s Invest In Iowa Act. 
 
The Governor’s bill had its first subcommittee Wednesday afternoon and it was clear from the packed room that the bill has piqued a lot of interest. The Senators said at the outset of the meeting that they were there to listen and would not be taking action at that meeting. They then heard from a long line of advocates weighing in on the bill, mostly supportive with some expressing their support for changes to the bill as written. No one spoke in outright opposition to the legislation.  

The TFI Board voted to support the Invest In Iowa Act, based on the massive boost the bill would give to quality of life initiatives that drive workforce, such as long term sustainable trail and REAP funding and lake restoration and water quality funding. TFI's lobbyists spoke in favor of the bill at the subcommittee.
 
No subcommittee meetings in the House have been announced yet, however a few of the House subcommittee members have been having a lot of conversations with advocates of the Invest In Iowa bill to gather feedback. 
 
The size and scope of the Invest In Iowa Act is a tall order in an election year, but the Governor’s team is working hard on securing its passage. The Governor has held a number of Invest In Iowa town halls across the State, and more should be announced later this week. Additionally, advocacy groups are pushing their members to show up to legislative forums and bring up the legislation with their state legislators. You can find a list of legislative forums HERE .
 
Senator Jake Chapman, Chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, has made no secret of the fact that he is working on this own tax bill that may become public later this week. Chapman’s bill promises to be much more aggressive on tax cuts than what the Governor has laid out. It will remain to be seen how this bill is received since some legislators seeking reelection this Fall are wary already of the size of the Governor’s bill while others have expressed an interest in going further. 
 
The bottom line is that the next month is going to be critical to anyone who is hoping to see the Governor’s bill pass. If you support this legislation, now is the time to show up to your local forums to express your thoughts.
Hotel/Motel – 30 to 90 days
 
As we state in the alert at the top, it is critical we start to get more input coming into legislators on this bill. A few key legislators and lobbyists have been working to keep this bill on track, but we need more legislators to hear about this so our statehouse advocates have more wind at their backs! Tell your legislators to support HF 760, HF 2281 and SF 2085.

Reminder - The bill would amend current law to allow communities to collect the first 90 days of hotel-motel tax, eliminating the retroactive refunding for hotel stays beyond 30 days, and replacing it with a 90 consecutive days cap on hotel-motel sales tax. Days one through 90 would be subject to the sales tax, while days 91 and beyond would become exempt, changing the exemption of hotel-motel taxes from 31 days to 90.

The Top 15 counties that are losing money because of the current law being broken.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Upcoming Legislative Forums over the Next Two Weeks
You can also find a PDF file with a similar table HERE
 
03/08/2020 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Listening Post-Iowa City
03/08/2020 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Listening Post-West Branch
03/09/2020 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Coffee with Marti-Des Moines
03/09/2020 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Rap with Your Rep.-Marion
03/13/2020 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Office Hours-Ankeny
03/13/2020 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Spill the Beans-Anita
03/13/2020 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Legislative Forum-Hampton
03/13/2020 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Legislative Forum-Waterloo
03/14/2020 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Legislative Coffee-Creston
03/14/2020 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Eggs & Issues-Oskaloosa
03/14/2020 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Listening Post - Maynard
03/14/2020 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Coffee Chat-Bondurant
03/14/2020 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Town Hall-Maquoketa
03/14/2020 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM Jackson County Legislative Forum
03/14/2020 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Listening Post-Baxter
03/14/2020 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Listening Post-Swisher
03/14/2020 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Legislative Forum-West Des Moines
03/14/2020 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Legislative Discussion Forum-Corning
03/14/2020 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Listening Post-Kellogg
03/14/2020 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Legislative Forum-Des Moines
03/14/2020 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Listening Post-Lone Tree
03/14/2020 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM State & Local Coffee Talk-Waterloo
03/15/2020 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Eggs and Issues-Burlington
03/16/2020 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Coffee Chat-Cedar Rapids
03/16/2020 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Coffee with Marti-Des Moines
03/20/2020 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Office Hours-Ankeny
03/20/2020 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Legislative Forum-Lake Mills
03/20/2020 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Legislative Forum-Bettendorf
03/20/2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Legislative Forum-Thompson
03/20/2020 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Legislative Luncheon-Fort Madison
03/20/2020 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Legislative Forum - Cherokee
03/20/2020 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Legislative Luncheon-Fort Madison
03/20/2020 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Legislative Forum-Forest City
03/20/2020 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Legislative Forum-Grimes
03/21/2020 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Jefferson County Legislative Forum-Fairfield
03/21/2020 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Eggs & Issues-Burlington
03/21/2020 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Eggs and Issues-Rock Rapids
03/21/2020 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Legislative Forum-Audubon
03/21/2020 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Legislative Coffee-Council Bluffs
03/21/2020 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Town Hall-Humboldt
03/21/2020 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM LegislativeForum-Burlington
03/21/2020 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Town Hall-Arlington
03/21/2020 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM Legislative Coffee-Council Bluffs
03/21/2020 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Office Hours-Clive
03/21/2020 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Legislative Forum-Monroe
03/21/2020 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Legislative Forum-Hiawatha
03/21/2020 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Legislative Forum-Templeton
03/21/2020 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Legislative Forum-Newton
03/21/2020 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Legislative Briefing-Washington
03/21/2020 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Legislative Coffee-Harlan
03/21/2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Town Hall-Pocahontas
03/21/2020 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Listening Post-Carter Lake
03/21/2020 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Legislative Forum-Postville
03/21/2020 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Legislative Forum-Knoxville
03/21/2020 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Town Hall-Rockwell City
03/23/2020 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Coffee with Marti-Des Moines
03/23/2020 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Rap with Your Rep.-Ely
03/24/2020 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Legislative Forum-Johnston




The Iowa House debating a number of bills, March 5, 2020
IowaHousedebatingseveralbillsonMarch52020
TFI Bills of Interest - Bill List
HF2109 Charity Beer and Wine Event Summary | Details House Floor
This bill authorizes a nonprofit entity to conduct a charity beer and wine event.

HF2259 Human Trafficking Prevention Training Summary | Details
This bill a llows lodging providers to voluntarily provide employees with human trafficking prevention training beginning January 1, 2022.   

HF2281 Hotel/Motel Tax Summary | Details House Floor
This bill modifies state and local hotel and motel tax exemptions.

HF2332 Quad Cities Regional Metropolitan Authority Summary | Details House Floor
This bill establishes the Quad Cities Regional Metropolitan Authority Compact.

This bill increases funds to the Resources Enhancement and Protection fund.

HF2380 Promotional Play Taxation Summary | Details House Floor
This bill includes promotional play receipts in adjusted gross receipts through June 30, 2024.

HF2389 Rulemaking Process Summary | Details
This bill makes changes to the rulemaking process for executive branch agencies.

HF2404 Muzzleloading Apparel Requirements Summary | Details House Floor
This bill places apparel requirements on a person passing through public land or water during muzzleloading season.

HF2409 Electric Bicycles Summary | Details House Floor with Companion
This bill makes provisions related to operation of low-speed electric bicycles.

HF2446 Bicyclist Violations Summary | Details House Floor
This bill adds the traffic offense of driving a car too close to a bicyclist that results in serious injury or death as a violation subject to additional penalties.

HF2482 State Historical Sites Summary | Details House Floor
This bill directs the department of cultural affairs to conduct a study regarding the identification, establishment, and promotion of state historical sites.

HF2483 Rest Area Revitalization Summary | Details House Floor
This bill requires DOT to conduct a study on revitalizing and updating rest areas.

HF2502 Local & Judicial Firearm Regulation Prohibited Summary | Details Senate Judiciary Committee
This bill makes changes to current law regarding carrying weapons in public buildings.

HF2514 Wine Sales Summary | Details House Floor
This bill allows certain wine permit holders to sell wine for consumption off the premises in a container other than the original.

HF2517 Nonresident Deer Hunting Licenses Summary | Details House Floor
This bill requires 500 deer hunting licenses be reserved for nonresidents who have made a reservation with a registered hunting guide company.

HF2527 Live Music Promotion Summary | Details House Floor
This bill prohibits promoting or conducting live music performances using deceptive connections between a performer and a recording group.

HF2540 Beer, Spirits & Wine Charity Event Summary | Details Senate Floor
This bill authorizes a nonprofit entity to conduct a charity beer, spirits, and wine event.

HF2580 Port Authorities Summary | Details House Floor
This bill allows port authorities to enter into loan agreements and lease contracts.

HF2593 Onsite Daycare Facilities Summary | Details House Floor
This bill allows new or existing onsite daycare facilities to qualify as a project under the high quality jobs program.

HF657 Deer Hunting Summary | Details House Floor
Allows a hunter who wounds a deer while hunting to use a dog to track and retrieve the wounded deer.

HF716 Deer Hunting Summary | Details Senate Floor
Allows a person 20 years of age or younger to hunt using a pistol or revolver under certain conditions.

H F760 Hotel/Motel Tax Exemption Summary | Details Senate Floor, Second Time
Exempts local hotel/motel tax beginning after 90 consecutive days of lodging.

HF771 Child & Dependent Care Exemptions Summary | Details Senate Ways & Means Committee
Creates an income tax exemption for money paid to child and dependent care providers.

This bill makes provisions related to state taxation.

SF2022 Missouri River Preservation Summary | Details Senate Floor
This bill repeals the Missouri River Preservation and Land Use Authority.

SF203 Private Fishing Summary | Details Senate Floor, Second Time
Allows a person to fish on a private lake or pond without a license. 

This bill requires lodging providers to secure a sales tax permit when renting lodging.

This bill creates a scenic byways enhancement fund.

SF2090 Bicycle Lights and Reflective Clothing Summary | Details Senate Floor
Modifies requirements for bicyclists to use lights and reflective clothing.

This bill modifies certain city and county budget provisions and provides a property assessment adjustment and property tax reduction for certain property owners.

SF2133 Travel Agency Registration Summary | Details Senate Floor
This bill repeals provisions requiring travel agencies and travel agents to be registered.

SF2134 Canned Cocktail Manufacturing Summary | Details
This bill allows beer manufacturers to manufacture canned cocktails.

This bill makes deer hunting licenses available during the same period that genera hunting licenses are available.

This bill allows cities to establish land banks.

SF2393 Professional/Occupational Licenses Summary | Details Senate Floor
This bill requires reciprocal professional and occupational licenses, certificates, or registrations be issued without an examination to certain individuals.

SJR2004 Official State Insect Summary | Details Senate Floor
This joint resolution designates the honeybee as the official state insect.

This bill makes provisions related to individual income taxes, sales and use taxes, water service tax, tax credits, and county juvenile court expenses and mental health region funding.
Your Bill Tracker
Click above to see status of important bills, or create your own report with our custom download.
Town Halls & Public Forums
Find a local event with your state or federal elected officials here. Three weeks are shown at a time on this website.