March 24, 2008

Senate to Consider Union Bargaining Bill Monday

ABI Successfully Defends Right to Work - Again

House Committee Approves SILO Tax

House and Senate Pass Separate Legislation Impacting Employers

Bottle Bill Study Moves Forward

IIPAC Auction: Billy Joel - Live in Concert

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Senate to Consider Union Bargaining Bill Monday

Today Monday, March 24 at noon, the Iowa Senate will begin debate on HF 2645 which broadly opens up collective bargaining for government employee unions, and raises property taxes on Iowa taxpayers.  The bill was approved on a party-line vote 52-47 by the House last Thursday. 

HF 2645 strikes current code which limits negotiations to “matters mutually agreed upon” between government employees and locally elected school boards, city councils and county supervisors.  It gives government unions the power to negotiate choosing a health insurance carrier, class size, discipline and discharge, grounds for discharge and imposition of other discipline, levels and types of disciplinary measures, retirement systems and "other terms and conditions of employment."  School boards, cities, counties, public hospitals, state schools and universities will lose great authority in the bargaining process. Instead, government unions can now take every item they want to binding arbitration, leaving taxpayers stuck with the bill.

The city of Des Moines has already estimated HF 2645 will raise property taxes 7% immediately.

ABI urges all taxpayers to contact their Senator immediately on Monday and urge them to vote “NO” on HF 2645 – the government union bargaining bill.

 CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION, TALKING POINTS AND A PRE-DRAFTED MESSAGE TO YOUR SENATOR.

ABI Successfully Defends Right to Work - Again

HF 2645 as amended by the House contained some very broad and vague terms for collective bargaining by government unions.  ABI was concerned that giving such broad authority to the unions would allow them to unilaterally bargain for required fees from non-union workers in violation of Iowa's Right to Work law.

Fortunately, ABI’s government relations team was able to work with a bipartisan group of pro-business legislators to draft an amendment that stopped this back-door repeal of Iowa ’s Right to Work law.  Thanks to those legislators and to ABI members’ direct communication with legislators, the amendment was adopted by a unanimous vote to specifically exclude union fees from collective bargaining. 

House Committee Approves SILO Tax

Late last Thursday night, the House Ways and Means Committee voted in favor of House File 2066, a bill that would replace the current local option tax for school infrastructure (SILO) with a statewide penny sales and use tax.  ABI opposes this legislation because of new use taxes the new SILO assesses primarily to businesses.

HF 2066 will eliminate local voters from the approval process and make the tax a permanent statewide tax. It also increases the state consumer use tax by a penny (the use tax is exempt from the current SILO) and will result in a $50-60 million tax increase by raising the use tax on Iowa businesses who buy taxable products from out of state vendors.

House and Senate Pass Separate Legislation Impacting Employers

Both the House and Senate passed legislation last week that expands penalties and costs to Iowa businesses in the area of unemployment and workers’ compensation legislation.  Below is a list of the bills that were approved by one chamber and appear headed to survive the second legislative funnel deadline on March 28.

Senate:

 SF 2160 – Prohibits employers who miss initial fact finding calls from IWD regarding unemployment compensation claims to collect any overpayments.  The legislation passed the Senate 30-18.

 SF 2344 - Expands the Workers’ Compensation Commissioner’s authority to assess penalties against employers and insurance carriers in cases where medical treatment is ended.  The legislation passed the Senate 31-18.

House:

  HF 2542 - Expands jurisdictional authority for Iowa for work-related injuries occurring outside the state.  This bill originally allowed review and reopening of settlements that ABI successfully lobbied to have stripped from the bill on the floor.  The bill passed the House 54-43.

 HF 2568 - Requires employers to calculate weekly workers’ compensation rates to include shift differential pay.   ABI successfully lobbied to amend the original version of the bill which included overtime and premium pay.  HF 2568 passed the House unanimously 98-0.

 HF 2589 - Subjects employers to a $35 fee for late filing of unemployment reports and allows Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) to collect bad check penalties.  Additionally, it gives IWD authority to fine employers $250 who do not comply with subpoenas. 

Bottle Bill Study Moves Forward

There is a proposal moving forward in the Iowa House that would provide incentives for landfills that fulfill the definition of an environment management system.  An environmental management system addresses greenhouse gas reduction, comprehensive recycling, and other ways landfills can combat solid waste.  The bill has an amendment that would establish a taskforce responsible to study and make recommendations for planning and implementing a statewide comprehensive recycling program.  The recommendations include a study of the current beverage control bill.  ABI has a seat on the commission.

IIPAC Auction: Billy Joel - Live in Concert

Bid now for a chance to spend a Memorable Evening with the Piano Man!

Billy Joel

Tuesday, April 15 - 8:00pm  

Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

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Wells Fargo   Parking Pass

To Bid Click HERE NOW!

Why I invest in IIPAC

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IPSCO Steel Inc.

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