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2018 Iowa Business Day on the Hill -- A Tremendous Success
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Pictured: Former ABI Board Chair Bill Bywater, chairman of Economy Advertising Company, and Speaker Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake)
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A large crowd of Iowa business leaders turned out for Iowa Business Day on the Hill held this past Tuesday. ABI partnered with the Iowa Chamber Alliance, the National Federation of Independent Business and the National Association of Women Business Owners to put on this extraordinary event. Members received a legislative update and then went to the Hill to speak with legislators about issues that are important to them and their businesses. Following that, several individuals attended the Day on the Hill lunch where Sen. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, spoke and took questions from the audience. ABI would like to thank everyone involved who helped to make this year's Iowa Business Day on the Hill one of the best.
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Pictured: Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver (R-Ankeny) and Steve Boal, CFO, Accumold
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ABI Legislative Update Call is Tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the official end of the second funnel, although all committee action is expected to wrap up this afternoon. After a very eventful week at the Iowa Capitol, plan to participate in the ABI legislative update tomorrow at 8 a.m. The public policy team will cover specific policy proposals in-depth, provide insight into what's alive and what didn't advance through the second funnel, and discuss the path to adjournment. The call is a member benefit and included with your annual dues investment. If you haven't registered for a previous call, please RSVP to
Brad Hartkopf to participate.
A Bill Related to Workforce--ABI's Top Priority--Passes House
HF 2458, the Future Ready Iowa bill introduced by the Governor and floor managed by Rep. Peter Cownie, passed unanimously out of the House chamber this week. The bill, which garnered overwhelming support and is a top priority of ABI, will help close the skills gap and ensure a strong workforce for Iowa companies. The legislation aims to accomplish the recommendations set out by the Future Ready Iowa Alliance, a committee on which many ABI members served. The bill includes incentives for industries to create additional apprenticeships and scholarships to encourage more people to enter the workforce in high-demand fields. Some changes requested by community colleges were made to the bill on the floor. The bill also advanced out of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee and Committee and so clears the second funnel.
Senate Republicans Select New Majority Leader and President
The Senate Republican caucus elected Sen. Jack Whitver of Ankeny to serve as Majority Leader and Sen. Charles Schneider of West Des Moines to serve as Senate President on Wednesday. Sen. Amy Sinclair of Allerton was chosen to be Majority Whip and Sen. Jake Chapman of Adel will join the leadership team as the newest Assistant Leader. The elections were called following the resignation of former Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix of Shell Rock on Monday. Sen. Schneider is currently the Appropriations Chair and will remain in that role. All four of these senators have been strong supporters of the business community. ABI congratulates the individuals who were elected on Wednesday.
Tomorrow is Candidate Filing Deadline
Tomorrow is the candidate filing deadline in advance of the June primaries. Many retirements have been confirmed, and a few last-minute ones will inevitably surface. After the filing deadline is complete, ABI will provide IIPAC investors an early analysis of this fall's races. If you're not an IIPAC investor, and you would like exclusive content and access to political information, consider a personal contribution today!
Click here to donate $100 to be a centennial investor today.
Federal Spotlight -- Senate Rolls Back Dodd-Frank
The United States Senate passed a bipartisan piece of legislation to exempt several dozen banks from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law. The bill was approved by a margin of 67-31. It would release many small- and medium-sized banks from onerous regulations and standards imposed by Dodd-Frank, which was signed into law in 2010 during President Obama's first term. The law was enacted as a reaction to the financial meltdown of 2008. The bill will now head to the House where its fate is uncertain. Conservative Republicans want to weaken Dodd-Frank even further than the bill that passed the Senate, but several moderate Senate Democrats have already indicated that they won't support a bill that further deregulates the banking industry.
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Investigating Work Injuries: Do You Have a Plan?
When a workplace injury occurs, it's important to respond quickly by conducting an incident investigation. Quick and planned actions demonstrate your commitment to workplace safety and prevention of future incidents.
Every incident needs to be investigated. This process helps employers look beyond what happened and discover why it happened. If you have prepared an incident investigation plan, you can be confident you're taking the appropriate steps to investigate and address the causes in an effort prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Being prepared to investigate incidents before they occur is important. Your incident investigation plan should be an easy-to-follow written plan. OSHA recommends that an effective incident investigation program...
Keep reading.
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Monte Wyatt Named 2018 ExecutiveCOACH of the Year
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Pictured: 2018 ExecutiveCOACH of the Year award-winner Monte Wyatt and ActionCOACH Founder and Chairman Brad Sugars
Global business coaching firm ActionCOACH named Monte Wyatt of West Des Moines the winner of its ExecutiveCOACH of the Year Award
at its annual Business Excellence Forum Awards ceremony on Feb. 19 in San Diego.
As an executive coach, Wyatt helps CEOs, executive team members, managers and business owners develop their leadership and management skills. Wyatt focuses on creating financial, team and overall business results.
Read the news release
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Hauber Shares Benefits of Reverse Sales Tax Audits on Forbes.com
Grant Funds to Support Export Marketing and Compliance Efforts Available from IEDA
Grant funds to support export marketing and compliance efforts are available to eligible Iowa companies from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Taking full advantage of these programs could add up to $22,000 to your marketing budget. There are three grant programs: 1) MTAP for market compliance and marketing, 2) ETAP for exhibiting at a trade show outside of the U.S. or participating in an IEDA trade mission and 3) DTAP for exhibiting at an international trade show held in the U.S. Funds are allocated on a first come, first served basis until funds are allocated. Applications must be submitted at least 45 days prior to the event or project start. Learn more and find application instructions.
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