ABI Cancels 2020 Taking Care of Business Conference
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ABI has canceled its annual conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 600 people were expected to attend the Taking Care of Business Conference, June 9-11, 2020, in Cedar Rapids.
“The safety of ABI members, staff, and those who assist us with this event is our top priority,” said ABI President Mike Ralston. “This unprecedented decision was made with them in mind.”
Also on Ralston’s mind: keeping Iowa business leaders where they’re needed most—leading their businesses and communities. “ABI member employers will be key in leading Iowa’s economic recovery,” said Ralston.
“I want to thank our conference partners in Cedar Rapids, as well as our sponsors and committee members,” said Cindy Dietz, ABI Chair and associate director of state government relations at Collins Aerospace. “Your support of ABI and hard work on behalf of our members is appreciated.”
The 2021 Taking Care of Business Conference will be June 8-10 in Coralville/Iowa City.
“Networking and connecting with fellow business leaders are the ABI conference’s biggest draws,” said Ralston. “That power of connection has never been more apparent than during this time of social distancing, and it will be even more meaningful at the 2021 conference.”
Reminder to 2020 conference attendees: If you made reservations for conference lodging at the DoubleTree, be sure to contact the hotel at 319-731-4403 to cancel them.
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Ernst Updates ABI Members with Latest on COVID-19 from Federal Level
Sen. Joni Ernst joined more than 90 ABI members on a teleconference call to brief them on the federal government’s actions on the coronavirus. She also took questions from members about recent legislation signed into law by President Trump. Question topics ranged from the new unemployment compensation benefits in the CARES Act provides to the Paycheck Protection Program (also in the CARES Act) to what a potential phase IV bill might look like. ABI would like to thank Sen. Ernst for taking time out of her schedule to provide insight and hear feedback from ABI members. If you have questions about federal policy or resources for businesses, please contact
JD Davis
or
Brad Hartkopf
.
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Federal Spotlight: Measure to Expand Paycheck Protection Program Appropriations Blocked in the Senate
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced he would seek to pass $250 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) via unanimous consent in the Senate on Thursday. Today, he brought the measure forward, but it was blocked by Democratic Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both of Maryland. The PPP provides forgivable loans to small businesses to incentivize them to keep individuals employed. The original $349 billion dollar appropriation in the CARES Act has been sought after by a number of eligible businesses across the country leaving the program to be nearly out of funds in a short period of time. Leaders from both parties have indicated that more coronavirus relief is likely to be coming in the near future.
Iowa Workforce Development Updates Unemployment Policy
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) continues to update and change some of its initial policy decisions on unemployment after the passage of federal legislation, additional guidance from the Department of Labor and responding to extra stress on the unemployment insurance trust fund. The three changes are:
- Employers no longer have to require employees to utilize all their paid leave prior to filing for unemployment.
- Employers that have a voluntary shared work (VSW) program, or implement one during COVID-19, will not incur the 50% chargeable expense to the employer’s account.
- IWD today announced a change in policy—they have implemented a trigger that once the trust fund gets to $950 million, the department will start charging employers’ accounts.
The ABI public policy team will have more information from IWD as it is released. Please join ABI staff for a conference call on these important changes at 8 a.m., Wednesday, April 15.
If you have not joined a previous public policy conference call already this year, please RVSP to
Michelle Vollstedt.
Legislative Session to be Suspended Through April 30
The Legislative Council is meeting later today and will vote to suspend the 2020 legislative session through the end of this month. The suspension comes as Gov. Reynolds has extended business closures and other measures aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus through the end of April as well. The committee consists of legislative leaders of both parties from both chambers. Before the legislature initially suspended the session on March 17, the body voted to fund state government through August of this year. There is essentially no hurry for legislators to return to Des Moines until the virus subsides.
Gov. Reynolds Appoints McDermott to Iowa Supreme Court
Last Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that she selected Matthew McDermott to serve on the Iowa Supreme Court. McDermott, an attorney at Belin McCormick, P.C. Law Firm in Des Moines, is the governor’s fourth appointment to the High Court. McDermott replaces Justice David Wiggins, who retired from the bench last month. McDermott is a University of Iowa graduate who earned his law degree from the University of California-Berkeley in 2003. He was chosen for the court over two other finalists: David May, who is an Iowa Court of Appeals Judge in Polk City and Mary Chicchelly, who is a district court judge in the Sixth Judicial District out of Cedar Rapids. You can read more from the
Des Moines Register
.
District Judge Rules for Waterloo, ABI Appeals
A district court judge early Monday ruled for the city of Waterloo on its local criminal history ordinance that violates the state’s preemption statute. ABI was profoundly disappointed in the ruling and has already filed our intent to appeal. If you would like a copy of the decision from Waterloo, please contact a member of the ABI public policy team.
Federal Spotlight: Sanders Suspends Bid for Democratic Nomination
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced on Wednesday that he was ending his presidential campaign for the Democractic nomination. This move all but ensures that former Vice President Joe Biden will be the Democrats’ nominee to challenge President Trump in November. Sanders, who won two of the first three nominating contests, also ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016 against eventual nominee Hillary Clinton.
Read more
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Thank You
The COVID-19 crisis is unlike any we've seen before. So is the amazing response from business and industry. On behalf of ABI's staff and fellow members, thank you for everything you've done and continue to do.
Assistance: ABI Members Helping All
Webinars: Members Helping Members
Daily
Friday, April 10
Wednesday, April 15
Friday, April 17
Wednesday, April 22
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Matthew McGill and Sammi LaBello
Pratum
Zoom is one of the largest, and currently most popular, video meeting apps for business and personal use. However, popularity is drawing more attention to what some consider security flaws and privacy concerns in the system.
Zoom’s Rapid Growth and Security Shortfalls
Eric Yuan, Zoom founder and CEO, recently stated the company was not expecting the mass expansion that came after the Coronavirus hit. According to Yuan, at the end of 2019 there were about 20 million users on Zoom. In March of 2020, they reached 200 million.
There have been several features of the Zoom software raising concerns for employees, business owners and government officials. These concerns are causing Yuan to now issue an apology, saying Zoom had:
“…fallen short of the community’s – and our own – privacy and security expectations. For that, I am deeply sorry.”
Now, Yuan says they are working “around the clock” to address these concerns.
What to be aware of in the meantime?
1. Zoombombing
One popular Zoom act right now is called “Zoom-bombing.” While it may be innocent pranking for some, it raises privacy concerns for others. This act of bombing someone’s Zoom is where uninvited attendees break into and disrupt meetings around the world. This is causing some concerns for businesses trying to hold conference calls over confidential information.
Keep reading
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Loan Relief Program Available at Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust
A new Loan Relief Program at Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust (CRBT) will help consumer and business clients impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers a three-month deferral of loan payments on certain types of loans. This voluntary program provides a simple way to ease the burden on families and businesses in our communities due to the coronavirus. Read the
full news release
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Help Iowans Help Iowans
Local restaurants need customers. Struggling Iowans need support. You need the feeling of knowing you helped both with one gift. Learn how you can help through this new program, which was created by Rob Sand (as a civilian, not in his role as state auditor) to help with COVID-19 relief.
Learn more
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Iowa National Guard: Thank You to Employers of Those Serving
A letter from Benjamin J. Corell, Major General, Iowa National Guard: "To all our valued employers of the men and women serving in the Iowa National Guard: I thank you for all that you do. One thing that sets the National Guard apart from other U.S. military components is our state support mission. Americans are accustomed to seeing the National Guard activated to respond to floods, tornados, hurricanes, forest fires and many other natural and manmade disasters..." Read the
full letter
.
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