Community Bankers of Iowa | Des Moines, IA - Community Banking News Blog | Community Bankers of Iowa (CBI)

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Mar. 13, 2020

3/13/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
First COVID-19 diagnoses in Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds activated the State Emergency Operations Center Sunday after three Iowans tested positive for coronavirus or COVID-19, the first such cases in the state. State public health officials continued to report additional Iowa cases as the week wore on. As of Thursday morning, a total of 14 Iowans had tested positive for the virus.

The people at the center of the first cases are from Johnson County and had recently been part of a cruise in Egypt. The individuals were isolated at their home to avoid transmission to others. The other diagnosis was in Pottawattamie County on the western edge of the state. State Epidemiologist Dr. Caitlin Pedati said public health officials were assessing potential exposure to additional individuals.

“These cases are an important reminder that all Iowans need to help prevent the spread of illness by washing hands frequently, staying home when ill, and covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue,” she said.

The state’s three public universities – Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa – announced classes would move online for two weeks starting March 23 to help mitigate any potential spread on campus. Students were strongly encouraged to stay home during this time, although residence halls and dining services will remain open.

“We know how disappointing and disruptive this is to our students, faculty and staff,” said Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen in a statement. “This decision was made in consultation with the Board of Regents out of an abundance of caution to prioritize health and safety as the outbreak continues to spread and circumstances rapidly evolve.”

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Mar. 6, 2020

3/6/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
Senator leads effort to help Chinese cities with Coronavirus response
Iowa Sen. Zach Nunn, R-Bondurant, is spearheading an effort to bring needed medical and food supplies to areas in Iowa’s Chinese sister cities hard hit with the coronavirus. Nunn is chairman of the Legislature’s International Relations Committee, which has been briefed on the situation in Iowa’s sister states.

“Friendship is more than a trade partnership; Iowa has a strong tradition of helping our sister-cities and fellow citizens of the world in need,” Nunn said in a statement. “Our friends are asking to help save lives and we are asking Iowans to assist in any way they are able.”

Needed supplies in those areas include medical gowns, masks, gloves, sanitizer, tissues, and monetary donations to cover shipping costs.

The Carpenters Local 106 donated safety glasses to the effort and members were honored on the Senate floor. Local leaders in Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, Davenport, Des Moines and Dubuque are also pitching in to assist.

Those wanting to donate to the effort can visit www.iowasisterstates.org.

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Feb. 28, 2020

2/28/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
Chambers have busy week of floor debate
The Iowa House and Senate passed a flurry of bills this week, working to advance legislation before a second funnel deadline will winnow the number of bills under consideration. Legislative leaders lined up their top priorities for debate this week.

Among the issues advancing included a Senate bill that funds efforts to help teachers and schools address violent student behavior in the classroom. Gun advocates flooded the Capitol on Thursday, anticipating debate on a bill that would limit cities or counties from enacting restrictive gun measures.

To remain alive, bills that have passed in one chamber will have to gain approval in a committee in the opposite chamber before a March 19 funnel deadline. The Legislature’s tentative adjournment date for the year is April 19.

Governor signs school funding equity bill to cover busing costs
Gov. Kim Reynolds this week signed a bill that will provide funding to rural schools for their transportation and busing needs. SF2164 will funnel $7.2 million to schools that spend more on annual transportation costs than the statewide average of $347 per pupil. A total of 204 Iowa schools will receive additional dollars.

“This legislation will help Iowa’s many rural school districts absorb transportation costs and put more money into the classroom,” Reynolds said. “Education is always a top priority, and we will continue to look for ways to provide every school, educator, and student with the tools for success.”

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Feb. 21, 2020

2/21/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
First funnel deadline passes
Scores of policy bills pending in the Legislature cleared their first major hurdle this week to remain alive for the rest of the legislative session. Lawmakers scrambled to gain committee passage by Thursday for bills they have prioritized for the year. They included changes to the state’s medical cannabis program. Changes in the state’s sustainable can and bottle deposit law were expected to clear the funnel later Thursday.

Some of the session’s most-watched issues, including proposed tax reform legislation and spending bills will be considered later in the session. Tax and spending bills are not subject to the legislative funnel deadlines.

The next funnel deadline is set for March 20, when bills must gain committee passage in the opposite chamber.

Lawmakers take another swing at medical cannabis
Fixes to Iowa’s medical cannabis program cleared a legislative deadline this week. Legislators passed a bill on the last day of the 2019 legislative session that would have substantially expanded the program, but it met Gov. Kim Reynolds’ veto pen. Reynolds said the issue needed further study, and lawmakers have tried to address those concerns this year.

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Feb. 14, 2020

2/14/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Legislative “funnel” deadline looming
Lawmakers raced this week to advance bills before next Friday’s so-called “funnel” deadline. It’s the day policy bills must gain committee approval in one chamber to remain alive for the remainder of the legislative session.

Dozens of subcommittee meetings were scheduled each day this week, creating a chaotic atmosphere at the Capitol. Among some of the higher profile proposals to advance in the House included a constitutional amendment declaring there is not a right to an abortion.

Statehouse observers predict another hectic committee schedule next week. Tax and spending bills are not subject to the funnel and are often considered near the end of session. Key legislators will start crafting the fiscal year 2021 budget when they get a report in March projecting state revenues.

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Feb. 7, 2020

2/7/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
Iowa presidential caucuses under fire after results delayed for days
Results of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses were marred Monday night with delays and technical errors, with no definitive winner declared after months of intense campaigning. The caucuses came under a harsh national spotlight when networks that had come to Iowa to broadcast results had no winner to report on caucus night. One news outlet described the night as an “epic meltdown.” By Thursday morning, Democrats Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders were locked in a dead heat as results trickled in from the last precincts.

The Iowa Democratic Party, which administers the caucuses, blamed the delays on a faulty phone app that precincts were supposed to use to report results. Instead, many of the local officials chose to report their results by phone, jamming phone lines for hours.

None of the large field of candidates got the type of media bounce a caucus winner typically enjoys. Soon after the caucuses were over, candidates and their campaigns already were headed to New Hampshire, which holds its presidential primary on Feb. 11.

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Jan. 31, 2020

1/31/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
Trade deal praised as good for Iowa farmers and manufacturers
The North American trade deal inked this week known as USMCA earned praise from Gov. Kim Reynolds, who said it would expand markets for Iowa producers with Iowa’s top trading partners – Mexico and Canada.

“President Trump successfully negotiated a strong, balanced and reciprocal trade agreement that will benefit Iowa and the entire nation,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Years from now, USMCA will prove to be a major boost to Iowa’s economy, especially for families, farmers, manufacturers and small businesses.”

Gov. Reynolds makes appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court
Gov. Kim Reynolds this week appointed Swisher attorney Dana Oxley to serve as a new justice on the Iowa Supreme Court to fill a vacancy created by the death of Chief Justice Mark Cady last year. Oxley practices with a prominent Cedar Rapids law firm and serves as an adjunct law professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.

“Dana Oxley is an exceptional lawyer with a uniquely Iowa story,” Reynolds said in a statement announcing the appointment. “She will be a valuable new addition to the Iowa Supreme Court. I look forward to watching her serve Iowans in this important role for years to come.”

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Jan. 24, 2020

1/24/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Overview/Major Events
Lawmakers gaveled in for a short week, with the Capitol and state government closed to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. Subcommittee meetings on bills, which allow stakeholders and the public to comment on legislation, began in earnest.

Among the issues considered and advancing at the committee or subcommittee level this week:

Ban on public vaping
Cost-share limits for patients using insulin with prescription drug coverage
Allowing emergency medical technicians to obtain professional gun permits
A ban on health policies excluding pre-existing conditions if the Affordable Care Act is struck down

Banking Issues
Two bills being closely followed by the banking industry regarding the grain coop lien issue have been introduced. HSB 500 is the Coop's preferred bill to put their claims ahead of banks' for stored grain. CBI is opposing this legislation. A second bill, HF 2047, is a compromise attempt to provide give grain coops a limited time for their claims to be superior to banks' claims in exchange for the development and required use of a central filing system, which has worked well in other states. CBI is still reviewing this legislation and has not yet taken a position.

Iowa Legislature Update – Week Ending Jan. 17, 2020

1/17/2020

by Charlotte Eby - Managing Director of Government Affairs, LS2group

Legislature begins 2020 session with new leadership
Iowa lawmakers dropped the gavel on the 2020 session Monday, pledging to address challenges that include a shortage of skilled workers and limited access to affordable child care for some across the state.

The biggest change at the State Capitol for the 2020 session is the new leadership in the House. Republican Rep. Pat Grassley of New Hartford, grandson of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, took over as Speaker. He assumes the role from retiring Speaker Linda Upmeyer, the first woman in Iowa to serve in the position. In another leadership change, Rep. Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley is serving as the new House Majority Leader.

Speaker Pat Grassley was accompanied by his grandfather and family to mark the occasion. He previously served as chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, setting budget policy for the state. In his opening address, he called on fellow House members to work together in a bipartisan fashion to reach common goals and show they are not like their counterparts in Washington D.C.

November Rural Mainstreet Index Rises to Highest Reading for 2019: Bankers Expect Holiday Sales to Grow by only 1.3% from 2018

11/25/2019

November Survey Results at a Glance:

Overall index climbs to highest reading for 2019. It also marked the fourth time in the past five months that the overall index has risen above growth neutral.
The trade war with China and the lack of passage of the USMCA are driving confidence and the economic outlook lower for most areas of the region.
On average, bankers, expect a 1.3% expansion with 17.1% of bank CEOs anticipating a decline in retail sales from last year.
Bankers reported that approximately 16.7% of farmers and 5.5% of business owners in their area had no organization succession plan.

OMAHA, Neb. (Nov. 21, 2019) – The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) for November climbed above growth neutral for the fourth time in the past five months, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.

Overall: The overall index rose to 54.2 from 51.4 in October. Although still tepid, this is the highest reading for 2019. It also marked the fourth time in the past five months that the overall index rose above growth neutral.

“Federal agriculture crop support payments and somewhat higher grain prices have boosted the Rural Mainstreet Index slightly above growth neutral for the month. Given a continued weak rural economy, bank CEOs, on average, expect holiday buying to increase by only 1.3% above last year’s levels,” said Ernie Goss, PhD, Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business.

Jeff Bonnett, president of Havana National Bank in Havana, Illinois, reported that, “The latest harvests are showing significant declines in test weights leading to the point that 2019 harvest production looks to be running below average.” Bonnett goes on to say that grain prices are still sitting at extremely low levels for such yields.

Farming and Ranching: The farmland and ranchland-price index for November increased slightly to a weak 40.4 from October’s 40.3. This is the 72nd straight month the index has remained below growth neutral 50.0.

The November farm equipment-sales index declined to 37.5 from October’s 39.7. This marks the 74th month the reading has remained below growth neutral 50.0.