ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception
Register Today for Savings
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For those who plan to attend the January 12, 2022 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception but have not yet registered, today is an important day. Today, Friday, December 17th is the final day to register and enjoy the lower “early bird” rates. We hope we are a part of your plans for the first week of the 2022 Iowa Legislative Session and hope you will take a moment and book now.
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Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference
Projecting Solid Growth for FY22
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Every December, the Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference meets to establish an official projection of future Iowa revenues that can be used to form budgets for the coming year. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds must use the December estimate when developing the budget she transmits to the Legislature each January. The panel doubled the rate of growth in state revenues for the current budget year from 1.5% to 3%. It also established a 1.7% growth rate for state fiscal year 2023, which will be deliberated and passed during the 2022 session.
Why It Matters to ABI Members - With strong growth, reserve funds at their statutory limit and a large uncommitted balance in a fund designated for tax relief, the Governor and legislative leaders are supporting moves to return revenues to taxpayers. ABI will be advocating for changes in the tax code that foster a competitive business climate that keys growth. See what policymakers are saying in this Iowa Public Radio piece.
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Senate Majority Leader Announces New Committee Chair Assignments for 2022 Legislative Session |
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Last week, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver announced four new committee chair assignments for the forthcoming legislative session. Sen. Adrian Dickey, a freshman who won a special election earlier this year to fill the seat of Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, will be the new Labor and Business Relations Chair. That position was left vacant due to Chairman Sen. Zach Whiting’s recent resignation. Sen. Mark Lofgren moves from chairing the Economic Development Budget Subcommittee to chairing Veterans Affairs. Lofgren replaces Sen. Jim Carlin, who has launched a primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Sen. Carrie Koelker moves into the role of chairing the Economic Development Budget Subcommittee. Sen. Waylon Brown replaces former Sen. Whiting as chair of the Administrative Rule Review Committee. More committee updates are expected to be announced in the near future.
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Rowley Wins Special Election for Iowa Senate |
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On Tuesday, Republican Dave Rowley, an insurance agent from Spirit Lake, prevailed in a special election to fill the current vacancy in Iowa Senate District 1. Rowley defeated Democratic challenger Mark Lemke by a margin of 75.6% to 24.3%. SD1 is a GOP stronghold and is comprised of Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Clay and Palo Alto Counties. The special election was necessary due to Sen. Zach Whiting’s recent resignation. Whiting took a position with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Republicans will maintain their 32-18 majority going into the 2022 legislative session.
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Create Your GovConnectIowa Account Today |
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The Iowa Department of Revenue and other state agencies created the GovConnectIowa portal to simplify filing and paying taxes -- and register or renew certain business licenses and permits. GovConnectIowa is available for business owners and business tax filers. Create your GovConnectIowa account today to access new, user-friendly tools that simplify filing and paying your taxes. After February 4, 2022, eFile & Pay will no longer be available for sales, use, and withholding taxes. All sales, use, and withholding taxes must be filed using GovConnectIowa.
LEARN MORE about accessing your tax accounts in GovConnectIowa.
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McCollister to be Next EPA Region 7 Administrator |
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Last Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency Chief Michael Ragan announced that President Biden is going to appoint Meg McCollister to be the next Region 7 Administrator for the agency. Region 7 covers Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and nine tribal nations. McCollister, who resides in Kansas City, has a Juris Doctorate with an emphasis in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She’s served on a number of nonprofits and worked on political candidates and public policy campaigns. According to a press release issued by the EPA, McCollister said, “I’m incredibly honored to be appointed as Regional Administrator for Region 7 to address environmental justice, climate change, and also build resilience for our important regional industries.”
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The Latest Court Actions on Biden Administration
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
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Each week we have been providing updates on the litigation related to the Biden Administration COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Two weeks ago we could report that all three mandates - covering health care workers, workers of federal contractors and employees of companies with more than 100 workers had all been put on hold by stays issued by federal district courts. As of last week there was no schedule to hear these cases.
New this week a federal appeals court ruled that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans went too far in issuing a country-wide stay on vaccines for health care workers. The Appeals Court allowed the stay for the states within the 5th Circuit, but lifted it for all other states with the exception of ten states that had filed a similar request for a stay in another jurisdiction. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Reynolds, Iowa health care businesses are not subject to the vaccine mandate while the case moves through the legal system.
Finally, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, which was selected to hear the case against the OSHA vaccine mandate for employers of over 100 workers, has established that a three judge panel will hear that case. The judges have not been selected and there is no published timeline for consideration.
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ABI Signs Onto Letter Opposing Tax Changes for Business Partnerships |
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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), a federal partner of ABI, is spearheading a letter that is set to be submitted to Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) encouraging him to abandon a proposal that would make it more challenging to form business partnerships. The letter specifically opposes changes to Subchapter K of the Internal Revenue Code included in the Pass-through Reform Discussion Draft which was unveiled on September 10. ABI, along with dozens of other similar organizations across the country, signed the letter. CLICK HERE to view the letter.
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WATCH:
Michael O'Donnell, who is the Director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership with the Center for Industrial Research and Service at Iowa State University, joins ABI to discuss manufacturing trends and how to support "Made in Iowa" this holiday season.
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The ABI offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, December 23rd and 24th, while employees observe the Christmas holiday with their families.
The next ABI newsletter will be sent earlier in the week of December 26th.
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Don't Miss These Upcoming Foundation Events! |
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Registration is now open for the 2nd Annual LI NEXT event! Held January 12 & 13, this Leadership Iowa alumni session will include tours, collaboration and inspiration featuring five alumni selected to share ideas and expertise in a series of "TEDx-style" discussions. Don't wait! Just like Leadership Iowa, this event is capped at 40 members!
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LI alumni are invited to ring in 2022 with Leadership Iowa at our annual Alumni Dinner and Celebration! This year is extra special as we celebrate 40 YEARS of Leadership Iowa with alumni across the state at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines. Gather your classmates for a fun night to reconnect, celebrate, and reminisce about favorite LI moments.
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2021 Viewpoint: Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
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HR.com's HR Research Institute and Salary.com conducted a study of HR professionals and employees to examine and compare the perceptions of each group to understand and assess the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace and to help employers make progress in DE&I initiatives and workforce equity initiatives.
Among the findings were insights into perceptions on pay equity. The survey found that HR professionals are more likely to have rose-colored glasses when looking at the current state of pay equity in their organization compared to employees.
download a free survey summary from salary.com.
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Click on the headlines to learn about the latest ABI member news
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Mark Your Calendars – 2022 CIRAS/iWIN Webinar Series |
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CIRAS's Iowa Workforce Innovation Network (iWIN) is a new approach to workforce planning. iWIN offers best practices, services, workshops, and research-based information to help Iowa's communities and businesses thrive. Throughout 2022, CIRAS & iWIN will host free, virtual roundtable discussions for industry leaders to share best practices and help solve problems. The first webinar of the Human Resource Series will be held January 19th and will focus on workforce. CLICK HERE to register for the January webinar and see the series schedule.
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TOP SUPPORTERS - GOVERNOR |
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