Iowa Legislature Adjourns for the Year |
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After several weeks of working overtime and little floor action by each chamber, the Iowa Legislature adjourned its second session of the 89th General Assembly. Lawmakers from the Iowa House and Iowa Senate spent the last few weeks in meetings with Gov. Kim Reynolds to work out compromises over several issues, including educational savings accounts (ESA - school choice). This week, House leadership announced the proposal for ESAs did not have enough votes in that chamber, and would not pass this legislative session.
With the legislative session’s adjournment, the ABI public policy team will update members on the specific dates and locations for regional public policy meetings soon. The original dates were postponed because lawmakers worked overtime. Read below on other substantial developments from the last week of the session below, and about ABI’s significant policy priority accomplishments in our special sine die newsletter.
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Read More about the 2022 Session:
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Read Legislative Leaders' Final Remarks:
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2022 Budget Bills and Legislative Leaders Closing Remarks |
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The main task lawmakers must complete before adjourning each legislative session is passing a budget for the new fiscal year. This week, both chambers agreed to versions of the different budget bills and sent them to the Governor.
You can find each bill here:
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Bottle Bill Passes, Sent to Governor |
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Last Chance for Conference IIPAC Recognition |
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Those who invest in ABI’s political action committee - IIPAC - are recognized annually at the Taking Care of Business Conference. IIPAC aims to foster a pro-business climate in the state of Iowa. If you want to be recognized at the 2022 Taking Care of Business Conference in Dubuque this June, but have not contributed to IIPAC yet, you can find the directions to contribute here. The deadline is June 1.
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Replacement Prosthetics Under Workers’ Compensation |
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Earlier in the session, the House passed HF 2411, which requires an employer to provide multiple permanent prosthetic devices to an employee covered under workers’ compensation if it is deemed reasonable medical care. This week, the Iowa Senate passed it on a 43-0 vote. An amendment to the bill provides that an employer must repair or replace an artificial member or orthopedic appliance that was damaged or made unusable by circumstances arising out of and in the course of employment other than through ordinary wear and tear. Initially, ABI registered against the bill, but changed the registration to undecided later in the session after receiving feedback from members about the current application of the law. The Iowa House concurred in the amended version sent from the Senate late Tuesday evening.
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Child Care Grant - Upcoming Webinars |
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ABI members who are interested can attend an upcoming webinar hosted by Future Ready Iowa and other representatives from the Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of Human Services. The webinar scheduled for June 22, 2022 from 12-1pm will provide application guidance to employers.
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Unemployment Rate Declines Further |
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Iowa’s unemployment rate fell to 3.0 percent last month, according to the Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). This latest rate is a decrease of more than 1 percent from the rate in April one year ago. Iowa’s unemployment rate is lower than the national unemployment rate for March, which was 3.6 percent. Initial unemployment insurance claims also decreased last month to 5,290 claims, which the IWD says is the lowest monthly number seen since 1973.
The sector with the most job additions in April was manufacturing. According to IWD, this was the sixth increase in the last seven months for manufacturing.
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June Primary is less than Two Weeks Away |
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In just over a week and a half, Iowans will go to the polls to determine the respective Democratic and Republican nominees for a variety of offices. Voters will have the opportunity to have their voices heard in nominating a candidate for Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Secretary of Agriculture, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Secretary of State, Iowa Senate, Iowa House and other local races in their jurisdictions. The primary will occur on Tuesday, June 7th where polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. It’s critical that employers and their team members get out and support pro-business candidates up and down the ballot. You can find out more on voter registration, your polling location, absentee balloting and other key information here.
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Future Ready Iowa Scholarship Eligibility Expansion |
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HF 2165 expands the eligibility of the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship program to part-time students.
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The scholarship program helps cover funding gaps between federal and state grants/scholarships and tuition fees. It applies to postsecondary certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees at Iowa community colleges or accredited private colleges in the state with qualified programs of study and have student services.
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Watch: Weekly Business Report with JD Davis and Brad Hartkopf |
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ABI's Public policy Team of JD Davis and Brad Hartkopf discuss the final days of session and the outcome for ABI members. |
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Foundation: Encourage the Student in Your Life to Participate in Business Horizons |
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Business Horizons is a five-day program that helps students build future-ready skills and gain invaluable college and career experience. Participants team up to develop a new business venture that solves a real-world problem. From there, students take part in team competitions, hear from dynamic speakers, attend workshops, work with Iowa professionals and more (watch here!). Participants meet great new friends from across the state, and leave feeling confident about their future.
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WHO: Iowa high school students (grades 9-12 during the 2021-22 school year)
COST: The participant cost is $350 (until June 20!). This includes all meals, lodging and materials for the week. Financial assistance is also available to students thanks to generous individual and corporate support.
OPPORTUNITIES:
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From the Desk of hrsimple |
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BuyABI: 20% off Iowa Human Resources Manual
Completely Updated for 2022
Written by fellow members and attorneys at BrownWinick and Fredrikson & Byron, the 16th edition of the Iowa Human Resources Manual will make it simple for business owners of all sizes and HR professionals in Iowa to comply with federal and state specific labor laws while you focus on running your business.
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The 2022 manual will answer your HR questions and provide resources for each such as:
- Do you report new hires in compliance with Iowa's state requirements?
- Do you know if your employees are eligible for family and medical leave?
- Do you have a protocol in place for dealing with workplace violence?
- Does your company have a method for evaluating employee performances?
- Are you up to date on which statuses are protected from discrimination in Iowa?
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Your purchase includes:
- Free access for 1 year to all SHRM and HRCI certified monthly webinars: hosted by hrsimple and presented by attorneys from partner labor law firms – a $240 value
- Digital manual: updated in real time as laws change
- Employee handbook form and policy templates: download, edit, save and print
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The annual cost for ABI members is just $198 – that’s 20% off regular price – with promo code IAEM22. Click here to order or call (860) 608-2872.
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Click on the headlines to learn about the latest ABI member news. |
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Image: Connectify HR Facebook
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