Reynolds Elaborates on Economic Recovery Task Force
On Monday, Gov. Kim Reynolds first hinted at an economic recovery task force she is establishing to address the issues posed by COVID-19. Yesterday, she went into further detail about the task force, which will be done in multiple phases and include a wide variety of stakeholders. Department directors are currently the only ones on the task force and are holding their first meeting today. Representatives of the private sector are expected to be added during phase two. Subgroups will be formed to look at the metrics, create policies and collaborate on other ways to help stabilize, recover and grow the state’s economy. ABI will be at the table. If you have ideas for policies the state could implement to expedite the economic recovery or benefit your business in particular, please send those to
JD Davis
or
Brad Hartkopf
.
More to Come: IWD Policy on Potential Employer Charge
In last week’s newsletter you read about the announcement by IWD to implement a trust fund balance trigger and start charging individual employers’ accounts for COVID-related layoffs as opposed to the trust fund balance. ABI has been in communication with IWD about this and expressed concern with the approach of treating similarly situated businesses differently. A special policy update call was held Wednesday where ABI received feedback from members to ensure the association is representing interests of all members. ABI continues to work through this with IWD and expects to come to a resolution prior to the trigger going in place. If you have questions or would like to provide feedback, please contact
JD Davis
or
Brad Hartkopf
.
IWD Releases Initial Unemployment Claims for Last Week
Iowa Workforce Development announced 46,356 individuals filed initial unemployment claims for the week of April 5-11. This number is down from the two previous weeks, which saw a record number of individuals file claims. According to the
IWD news release
, there are 128,819 continuing claims for this week. There was approximately $37.8 million paid to claimants last week, which is important to note because of the new policy IWD unveiled concerning the trigger for the trust fund. The industries with the most claims were health care and social assistance, manufacturing, retail trade, and accommodation and food services.
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Ralston to Appear on Iowa Press Tomorrow Evening
ABI President Mike Ralston will be a guest on Iowa Press this Friday, along with Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham and Iowa Restaurant Association President & CEO Jessica Dunker. The focus of this one-hour special program will be the coronavirus and its effect on the business community. David Yepsen will moderate the discussion, and Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa will join him to facilitate the discussion. The panel will take questions submitted by viewers. The program will be on Iowa PBS tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and then will re-air this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. You can also watch
online
.
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ABI to Host Teleconference Call With Sen. Grassley
ABI members are invited to join a teleconference call with Sen. Charles Grassley next week. Sen. Grassley is Chairman of the Finance Committee and is the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. This is another great opportunity to hear from and ask a leading member of Congress questions about the latest in DC. Please RSVP to
Michelle Vollstedt
for the call. Watch your inbox early next week for call details.
DNR Extends Deadline for Comments on Dispersion Modeling Guidance
Due to COVID-19, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Air Quality Bureau is pushing back the deadline for informal comments on its proposed updates to dispersion modeling guidance to Thursday, April 30. The DNR has updated four modeling guidance documents based on new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidance and Appendix W revisions. The dispersion modeling guidance updates include modifications to: ambient air, secondary formation and nitrogen oxide (NOx) modeling techniques. The
documents
are listed under public input. Comments are due to
Alyssa Fizel
by 4:30 p.m. on the 30th. You can also reach out to her with questions. If you have comments you would like ABI to share to DNR from an organization perspective, please get those to
Brad Hartkopf
by April 24.
Federal Spotlight: Obama, Sanders and Warren Endorse Biden for President
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden received three very influential and consequential endorsements this week as he is for all intents and purposes now the Democratic presidential nominee for the general election this fall. On Monday, former primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) officially announced his support for Mr. Biden. On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama, under whom Mr. Biden served as vice president, endorsed him. Yesterday, another progressive primary opponent of Mr. Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), backed his campaign for president. With Democrats closing ranks, Mr. Biden will have the full force of the party behind him as he challenges President Trump in the fall.
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Assistance: ABI Members Helping All
Here are even more ABI member companies that are helping their communities, Iowa and the nation.
Dickson Industries, Hawkeye Community College and Metalcraft
John Deere
Miller Products
Veridian Credit Union
Webspec
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Webinars: Members Helping Members
Fellow ABI members are some of the best sources of information for your business during the pandemic.
Daily
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10 a.m. | CBGI and Advance Iowa |
Register
Employee Benefits Town Hall
Friday, April 17 | 1 p.m. | LMC Insurance & Risk Management/AssuredPartners |
Register
Leading in Times of Uncertainty
Friday, April 17 |
3:30-4:30 p.m. | Sandler Training in Iowa/Nebraska |
Register
The Legal and Cybersecurity Implications of COVID-19
Tuesday, April 21 | 10-11 a.m. | BrownWinick Law Firm and ACS |
Register
Wednesday, April 22 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Faegre Drinker |
Register
Selling in a Bear Market
Friday, April 24 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Sandler Training in Iowa/Nebraska |
Register
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Present at the 2020 Advanced Manufacturing Conference
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Do you have expertise on issues important to Iowa manufacturers? Share your insight with attendees at the 2020 Advanced Manufacturing Conference on September 30. ABI is now accepting proposals for workshop speakers.
Preferred topics include:
- Response to COVID-19
- Digital transformation
- Generational dynamics
- Manufacturing best practices
- Strategic safety practices
- Building a culture of innovation
- Manufacturing technologies
- Workforce
- How to attract high school students to manufacturing
- Industry 4.0
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Health Care Solution During the Pandemic: Low-Cost Telehealth Benefits for Current and Laid-Off Employees
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Thomas C. Selleck
Director of Marketing
CapcareTelehealth.com
“It’s never been more important to be able to reach your doctor or therapist. With telehealth services, we can accomplish both goals—increasing access to care, while also doing our part to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19.” – U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, 4-9-20
16 million in U.S. lose jobs in last 3 weeks – NYTimes.com
Compounding the loss of income, laid-off workers also lose their health insurance—and that means they also lose their drug plans, so their out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions skyrocket. Furloughed employees are often left without their customary support net of health services.
Employees who are lucky enough to still have a job are confronted by big obstacles to getting safe, accessible health care for themselves or their families. Long delays for getting in to see a doctor, crowded facilities, and high insurance copays or other direct out-of-pocket costs. Plus, no one wants to risk sitting in the waiting room surrounded by sick and potentially contagious people, especially during this pandemic.
Keep reading
.
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Sukup Manufacturing Co. Announces CFO Hire
Sukup Manufacturing Co. is pleased to announce that Tom Mangan joined the company’s management team as chief financial officer on April 6, 2020. “We felt Tom was an excellent fit due to his deep experience with financial controls and background with a family-owned company,” said Steve Sukup, president and CEO. “We look forward to having him join us in our mission to manufacture the highest quality grain storage and handling equipment for farmers and the agriculture industry.” Read the
full news release
.
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