June 7 Iowa Primaries Will Define 2022 General Election Races |
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Hot topic issues such as mandatory vaccine policies, school choice and other policies have energized activists seeking election to the Iowa House and Senate and driven an increase in the number of candidates. This phenomenon is compounded by the once a decade House and Senate redistricting, meaning some sitting same-party officeholders are forced to square off. It is rare for ABI to get involved politically in primaries, but this year is much different. The non-partisan Board of the Iowa Industry Political Action Committee (IIPAC) has awarded the “Friend of Iowa Business” designation to those who have a positive track record with ABI and find themselves in competitive primaries. Those candidates are:
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Iowa Senate
District 5: Dave Rowley
Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Winnebago, Palo Alto Counties and Northern Clay County
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Iowa House
District 4: Skyler Wheeler
Lyon County and Northern Sioux County
District 15: Matt Windschitl
Harrison County and part of Pottawattamie County
District 60: Jane Bloomingdale
Mitchell and Worth Counties and part of Cerro Gordo County
District 66: Lee Hein
Jones County and most of Jackson County
District 87: Joe Mitchell
Van Buren County and parts of Henry and Jefferson County
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If the individuals above are on the ballot in your area, please keep the Friend of Iowa Business designations in mind as you head to the polls next Tuesday June 7, 2022. You can find your polling location and additional information on voting here.
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Regional Meetings Set to Take Place in June and July |
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With the Iowa Legislature having now adjourned, ABI will be holding regional meetings over the next two months. Members will learn about the results of the legislative session from the perspective of the business community and have the opportunity to hear a preview of the November state and federal elections. ABI will hold meetings in Dubuque, Fairfield, Atlantic, Des Moines and Fort Dodge. Our first meeting will be at the Taking Care of Business Conference on June 15, as JD Davis and Brad Hartkopf will host a workshop presentation. The Des Moines meeting will take place on Thursday, June 30 at ABI from 8am-9:30am. Registration is now open for Des Moines and additional information on other meetings will be coming soon.
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Registration for August Public Policy Committee Meetings is Open |
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We’re just over two months away from the 2023 public policy committee meetings. In August, all five public policy committees will meet at the ABI office in Des Moines to review existing policies and provide recommendations on initiatives in 2023. The committees are: Employment and Workforce, Tax, Economic Growth, Workplace & Product Safety, and Environment. Meetings will take place from 11:30 am - 2:15 pm and include lunch and a guest speaker followed by a review of the policy statements. The Tax Committee will meet Tuesday, August 16 and the Economic Growth Committee will convene Thursday, August 18. ABI’s public policy process is member-driven, which allows for companies to highlight specific issues they would like to see addressed by the Legislature. Check future newsletters and the ABI events calendar for meeting dates for the other three committees.
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Iowa Supreme Court Decisions Favors ABI Amicus Position |
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In May of 2019 Employers Mutual Company (EMC) reorganized, accepting an offer to “go private”. A minority shareholder filed suit against individual directors of the board for failing to uphold their fiduciary duty to shareholders. Those directors asked the Iowa Business Specialty Court, which was developed by the District Court in 5C, to dismiss the case as the individual directors claimed they were shielded by such lawsuits by Iowa law. That Court instead allowed the case to move forward. The directors then asked the Iowa Supreme Court to intervene. Concurrently, ABI and the Iowa Business Council filed an amicus curiae brief supporting the director’s filing before the Supreme Court as this was a first instance in which the Court was asked to interpret the director shield of a model business act adopted by Iowa. Arguments were heard March 23 of this year. On May 27th the Court issued a ruling supporting the directors.
This was an important first test at the Iowa Supreme Court interpreting a director’s shield provision of a recently adopted model business act in Iowa and was closely watched by the greater business community. The Supreme Court ruling is here.
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DNR Set to Begin Expansion of Testing Water Supplies for PFAS |
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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will begin to expand their sampling of water supplies for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) this month according to an article recently published by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The article indicates more than 30 cities and a dozen large businesses who have their own wells will be included in the tests. Legislative and testing activity concerning PFAs has increased considerably over the last few years across the country as policymakers look to address concerns regarding larger concentrations of the “forever chemicals”. As of now, no legislation has passed in Iowa and rulemaking has not been promulgated by the DNR. ABI will continue to monitor this issue closely.
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Federal Spotlight: ABI Signs onto Letter Addressed to National Labor Relations Board |
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ABI has added our name to a letter being spearheaded by one of our federal partners, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The letter calls on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to reject arguments that the Board should impose card check organizing via case law and interfere with employer speech rights that are protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The Chamber notes that in a case called Gemex, the General Counsel (GC) has asked the Board to consider overturning long-standing precedent, and ignore Supreme Court decisions and the plan text of the NLRA. If the Board ends up agreeing with the GC’s position, it could have a significant impact on companies and make it much more challenging to manage businesses. ABI would like to thank the Chamber for leading this important effort. |
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Watch: Weekly Business Report with Brett Burkhart, Conference Committee |
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Brett Burkhart, a Customer Success Lead at ABI member company MakuSafe, serves as the chair of the ABI Conference Committee. Brett shares his insight about why the Taking Care of Business Conference is valuable to attend. |
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Foundation: Encourage the College Student in Your Life to Participate in Leadership Iowa University |
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Leadership Iowa University (LIU) connects our state’s next decision-makers with tools for personal and professional success. During the five-day program, students explore the many facets of Iowa that make our state such a great place to live and work - all while expanding their network, knowledge, and resources that will help them get ahead. Students learn about Iowa's top industries through business tours and professionals sharing their meaningful work. Students gain inspiration, vision, and new friends across other Iowa campuses.
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WHO: College sophomores-seniors, company interns in Iowa; any area of study
COST: The participant cost is $500, which includes all meals, lodging and materials. Financial assistance is available. Organizations are also encouraged to use the program as a unique internship capstone experience to invest in future employees!
OPPORTUNITIES:
DO YOU HAVE INTERNS? Reach out to learn how to extend their summer internship at LIU!
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From the Desk of Mike Ralston |
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In less than two weeks, ABI will hold its 119th annual convention, the 2022 Taking Care of Business Conference. We are excited to host 600 ABI members in Dubuque June 14-16.
For three days, ABI members from all over Iowa and beyond will come together for business, social, and networking events. Golf and other community activities, followed by a welcome reception at the Diamond Jo Casino/Mississippi Moon Bar, will mark the start of the convention.
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Two fabulous keynote speakers and breakout sessions will mark the second day. That evening, a terrific Chair’s Event, to be held at the famous Millwork Ballroom Events Center (site of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ Gary Dolphin’s bar and other Dubuque establishments), will be unlike any ABI members have seen before. It will include the annual ABI Foundation Auction, with some spectacular items up for bid.
The convention will be capped by a fantastic final day of great programming. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, a third terrific keynote speaker, honoring the Leadership for Iowa award winner, and the graduation of the Leadership Iowa class will be highlights of Thursday’s program.
All of that is absolutely fantastic. And it is important in that it helps achieve the primary objective of the conference: to add value for you and your business.
In recent years, we have changed the official name of the ABI convention and it is now known as Iowa's Taking Care of Business Conference. That's because if we aren't helping you take care of your business and your employees, we aren't doing our job.
As I note in a message to the ABI Board of Directors each year, the annual convention is important to ABI for many reasons. While the revenue raised by the convention is one of those, even more important is the event's value as a source of programming and information for members. And even more important than that, the annual conference helps continue ABI's momentum and provides members and sponsors with the very best business networking in Iowa.
Thanks to you, all of that is assured to be the outcome of the conference. On behalf of ABI Chair Jack Hasken, his wife, former Chair Sarah Hasken, and myself, we can’t wait to see you in Dubuque!
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Click on the headlines to learn about the latest ABI member news. |
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