With the elections now completed, the focus is now on what will happen in 2017. AAI corporate council Doug Gross provided a recap of Tuesday's election at the Legislative Committee meeting on November 10, as well as providing some insight into policy areas to watch in the next session of both the federal and state legislatures.

Federal Highlights:

With the election of a Republican as president, and control of the senate shifting to Republicans, there is some expectation that the gridlock of the past sessions will give way to a productive legislature. Areas AAI will watch going forward:

• Tax Reform: watch for discussion on estate tax limitations and changes to cash accounting rules
• WOTUS: Gross expects the concerns of the past few years to be eliminated
• Anti-Trust regulation: mega-mergers of businesses are expected to be even more heavily scrutinized
• Farm Bill: discussion expected to begin in 2017
• Infrastructure: the increased focus likely will include grain movement channels

State Highlights: 

The state of Iowa also ushered in a Republican senate which means the governor and both chambers of the legislature are controlled by the same party. Both Gross and our lobbying team from Fitzgerald and Associates commented that 2017 will be a tight budget year, but it will be a good year to work on regulation and statutes that either need to be cleaned up, changed, or eliminated. AAI will be working to identify these items as well as keeping an eye on water quality initiative issues.

The legislative committee will be making more specific legislative priority recommendations for the session which will be addressed at the December board meeting.