John
Gilliland, Senior Vice President, Government
Relations appeared on last week's edition of Iowa
Press along with Ken Sagar of the Iowa Federation
of Labor.
ABI
receives warm welcome from Fairfield
Mfg. Group on Tuesday, March 10th. Over
30 manufacturers gathered to support ABI's efforts
and to hear updates from ABI staff. Thanks to ABI
leader Lori Schaefer with Agri-Ind. Plastics for
the invitation. It was great to spend time
with fantastic companies like: Agri-Ind. Plastics,
Creative Edge, Dexter, Fairfield Line, Harper
Brush, HCM Plastics, Nelson Co., Performance Pipe,
and Traffix
Devices.
Don't
forget to take advantage of ABI's new member
benefit - its office products purchasing
pool. Contact Ed Minnick to find out how you
can save significant money on your office supply
purchases.
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ABI Day on the
Hill
Morning or
afternoon sessions available
9th
- Des
Moines, Jasper Winery
A.M. -
Mason City,
John PappaJohn Center
P.M. -
Cedar Rapids,
Kirkwood Ctr. for
Continuing Education
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To
foster a favorable business, economic,
governmental and social climate within the State
of Iowa so that our
citizens have the opportunity to enjoy the highest
possible quality of
life. |
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 Legislative
News
Opposition
Dominates Workers' Compensation
Hearing
Lead
by strong testimony by ABI Chair Charles Sukup,
Sukup Manufacturing Co., the opponents to
HF
530 were heard loud and clear Tuesday night
at a public hearing held in the House Chamber of
the State Capitol. Legislators who stayed
to learn about the proposal that would change
Iowa's 96-year
workers' compensation system by denying
employers any oversight over medical care heard
from 38 Iowans during the two hour hearing.
Union Fairy Tale
Chapter
2
Based
on the House taking action this week on the
workers' compensation medical care issues, ABI
acted quickly to record and air a new radio ad
this week, urging citizens to contact their
Representatives to voice opposition to the
radical changes. Continue reading>>>
Funnel
Week at Capitol Proves Pivotal for Many Business
Bills
March
13 marks the first funnel date of the 110 day
legislative session, meaning that for bills to
stay alive, they must have been approved by a
full legislative committee. Accordingly,
the week was full of numerous subcommittee and
committee meetings to advance bills. Here
is a list of some of the key bills impacting
business and their status:
Continue
reading>>>
Public
Employee
Bill
Passes
House Labor with
HSB
269 passed the House Labor Committee this
afternoon with no major amendments added to the
legislation. However, this is the
legislation that became the vehicle for the
major expansion of collective bargaining in the
2008 Legislature (that ultimately lead to ABI's
opposition and the Governor's veto of HF2645).
Continue
reading>>>
Revenue
Estimating Conference to Meet Friday, March
20
Next
Friday will also be a key date in the 2009
legislative session. The Revenue
Estimating Conference will meet to review the
state's fiscal estimates for FY '09-10. In
December, the Conference estimated a $779
million budget deficit. Continue reading>>>
Don't
Forget to Register for ABI Day on the
Hill
ABI
Day on the Hill will be held Tuesday, March 24th
and meetings have been scheduled with leaders of
both political parties. Continue
reading>>> |
Renewable Energy
Tax Provisions in American Recovery &
Reinvestment Act of
2009 
Iowa
ranks 1st in the nation in production of
ethanol, 2nd in biodiesel and 3rd overall in
wind energy. In a state so vested in bioenergy,
it is critical we understand the policies and
provisions surrounding it.
- New
30 percent investment tax credit for facilities
engaged in the manufacture of advanced energy
property. Includes technology for the
production of renewable energy, energy storage,
energy conservation, efficient transmission and
distribution of electricity, and carbon capture
and sequestration. Up to $2.3 billion of
credits to be awarded through competitive
bidding process established by Secretary of
Treasury in consultation with the Secretary of
Energy. Continue
reading>>>
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From
the desk of . . . . ABI Government Relations
Team
The
83rd General Assembly is in full swing. As
the ninth week comes to a close and the
legislature completes the first "funnel" stage,
we are oftentimes left scratching our
heads. The first funnel is when a bill
must pass a committee of one chamber in order to
be eligible for debate. Some bills, such
as Appropriations and Ways & Means proposals
are exempt from this rule. Once the first
funnel is over, floor debate increases and the
legislature gets to work on passing a budget for
the state to fulfill its
operations.
The
process by which Iowa passes
its laws is an interesting one to say the
least. Proposals that affect business in
Iowa are
introduced every day. We work to represent you
in the best possible way, providing legislators
with examples and statistics to explain why a
bill should or should not pass. However,
legislators want to hear from YOU! They
see and talk to us every day. Your direct
involvement is the best way to have your voice
heard. With all that being said, we have a
great opportunity for
you! Continue
reading>>>
Did
you miss the Monday memo from ABI President,
Mike Ralston? Click
here for this week's
memo. |
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