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Government Affairs Weekly Report - Week 3: Jan. 22-25, 2018

1/26/2018

by CBI Lobbyist Jeff Boeyink - Partner, LS2 Group

Overview / Major Events
This week subcommittee work on dozens of bills took place as committee chairs introduced a flurry of new bills in anticipation of a three week run (beginning next Monday) to the first legislative funnel on February 15.

The only major floor work in either Chamber this week was focused on water quality legislation that Governor Reynolds had highlighted as one of her highest policy priorities for the 2018 Session in her recent Condition of the State address.

House sends Water Quality legislation to Governor Reynolds
In her Condition of the State address, Governor Reynolds had this to say about water quality:

"Improving water quality is a shared goal of Iowans. Urban and rural stakeholders have worked collaboratively making great strides. My hope is that a water quality bill is the first piece of legislation I sign as Governor. Let me assure you, passage of this monumental legislation does not mean the water quality discussion is over; rather it ignites the conversation to implement and scale practices that will continue to make an impact on water quality."

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Speak Out On Tax Parity Between Community Banks and Credit Unions

1/26/2018

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by Dave Caris, CEO - Community Bankers of Iowa

Iowa's credit unions have launched a massive media and grassroots campaign before even seeing legislation to finally require them to pay their fair share of taxes. When you are talking to your employees, friends, neighbors and policy makers about this issue, keep the following key points in mind:

Banks pay about $360 million a year in taxes to support Iowa's infrastructure, education system, justice system and many other key government functions. Credit unions, who are offering almost identical services as banks, pay no taxes on their profits.
The State keeps coming up short on revenue and is having to make cuts in most areas of the budget, yet credit unions continue to enjoy a tax exempt status and are contributing nothing toward these vital state government services.
Credit unions claim they give all of their profits back to their members in the form of lower rates on loans and higher rates on savings. But, the facts don't support that claim! Just look around - the mega credit unions are building lavish office buildings and facilities, paying generous executive salaries, funding enormous political advertising campaigns, and occasionally even purchase naming rights to sports and convention facilities. These are not acceptable traits for legitimate nonprofit organizations.
Each time a customer leaves a tax-paying bank and opens an account with a credit union, your State and community loses and we all end up footing the bill.
The facts also show that the mega credit unions are most interested in serving affluent customers and neighborhoods, and are not serving less desirable customers and areas of communities as community banks do.

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Government Affairs Weekly Report - Week 2: Jan. 15-18, 2018

1/19/2018

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by CBI Lobbyist Jeff Boeyink - Partner, LS2 Group

The second week of Session contained very little news regarding forthcoming major initiatives but did see a great deal of activity as subcommittees were meeting at a fever pitch as there is clearly a sense of urgency in the Chambers and in the lobby regarding the need to move quickly.

That said, there are two significant issues that will likely be introduced in the next seven to 10 days that will have major implications for the telecommunications and energy sectors in Iowa:

Legislation to codify two recent rulings from the Iowa Utilities Board regarding state jurisdiction over VoIP services on the Internet (defining VoIP as an information service rather than a communications service) and sweeping deregulation of the local telephone industry.
Legislation designed to assist in the further development of the Iowa Energy Plan through a series of modernizations regarding utility ratemaking, encouraging the build out of more natural gas access in rural Iowa, and transmission lines.

Both of these efforts are expected to have broad industry support.

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Government Affairs Weekly Report - Week 1: Jan. 8-11, 2018

1/12/2018

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by CBI Lobbyist Jeff Boeyink - Partner, LS2 Group

This week marked the beginning of the 2018 Session of the 87th Iowa General Assembly and the clear highlight was delivery of the Condition of the State Address by Governor Kim Reynolds, the first woman in Iowa history to ever have the opportunity to give this annual address.

It also marked the introduction of a new leader in the Iowa Senate, with Janet Petersen beginning her first Session as head of the Senate Democrat minority caucus. In fact, she took her first opportunity on the floor to deliver a blistering speech regarding the policy agenda of Senate Republicans in 2017 and to continue the conversation regarding sexual harassment that dominated much of the interim.

House and Senate Republican leaders have pledged to attempt to conclude the 2018 Session within 90 days (state law sets a soft close after 100 days)—which would put us in early April.

Lastly, this week also marked the delivery of Governor Reynolds first state budget and spending priorities, with the Governor recommending an overall spending increase at a modest 2.3%.

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Government Affairs Weekly Report - Week 3: Jan. 22-25, 2018

Speak Out On Tax Parity Between Community Banks and Credit Unions

Government Affairs Weekly Report - Week 2: Jan. 15-18, 2018

Government Affairs Weekly Report - Week 1: Jan. 8-11, 2018

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