March 13, 2008

ABI Day on the Hill: Member Impact

Busy Week of Debate for Legislature

Senate Passes Presidential Caucus Legislation

Bills Not Advancing this Year

Candidates Filing Petitions

Why I invest in IIPAC

Mike Ralston
President
515/235-0562

Public Policy Team:

John R. Gilliland
Senior Vice President, 
Government Relations
515/235-0566

Nicole Molt
Director, 
Government Relations
515/235-0567

Jackie Paul
Administrative Assistant
515/235-0561

For questions regarding ABI Membership please contact:  

Leisa Fox
Vice President, Membership
515/235-0575

ABI ADVISORY COUNCIL

Resources & Links

Iowa Prosperity Project 
for
-Issue Alerts
-Write Your Legislator
-Legislator Voting Records
-Register to Vote

ABI Member Benefit -

For questions regarding the Iowa Prosperity Project (IP2) or your own FREE Prosperity Project Website send an email to:

IP2@iowaabi.org

Upcoming ABI Events - Mark Your Calendar!  For a full calendar of ABI events or to register click here.

June:

June 10^th - 12^th

2008 ABI Convention

Coralville, Iowa:  Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

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ABI Day on the Hill: Member Impact

ABI members who attended the first-ever ABI Day on the Hill made an impact Tuesday on public policy for Iowa.  Two sessions of attendees participated in issue briefings at the State Historical Building on hot topics facing the 2008 general assembly.  They then joined the ABI government relations team at the capitol to engage their local legislators about issues affecting Iowa's business climate.  Following adjournment of the March meeting of the ABI Board of Directors also held Tuesday, several board members met with legislators at the capitol.  Several legislators have expressed how much they appreciated the direct contact from ABI members who employ constituents in their districts.

If you missed it, click here for more photos.

Busy Week of Debate for Legislature

As mentioned last week, the first legislative funnel has passed and the legislature is now focusing on passing bills out of one chamber and a committee in the opposite chamber before the next legislative funnel on March 28, 2008.  Due to the short time frame between funnels, both the House and Senate spent considerable time debating this week – mostly less contentious bills.

Senate Passes Presidential Caucus Legislation

SF 2355 was approved Wednesday by the Senate 38-10 which would require employers to provide employees up to four (4) hours of unpaid leave to attend a presidential caucus.  The bill requires fourteen day requests by employees and also allows employers ability to request an exemption from their county auditor if such leave would create “severe economic or operational disruption” or if function of the business affects public safety.  The bill now moves to the House.

Bills Not Advancing this Year

While a number of bills survived the first legislative funnel of the year, ABI was successful in questioning the rationale behind several proposals that left employers scratching their heads.  Here’s a list of some that did not advance this year:

HF 2348 indexing minimum hourly wage by the same percentage as the increase in federal social security benefits.

HF 692 mandated specified meal periods and rest periods and providing penalties.

HF 2292 mandating accommodations for employees who are breast-feeding.

SF 2058 Unemployment benefits to employee who voluntarily quits employment to care for a family member who is mentally or physically disabled.

SF 2271 Limiting the hours an employee may work in a twenty-four-hour period.

SF 2314  Additional penalties for delays in commencement or terminations of workers' compensation benefits.

SSB 3074 Late settlement fees in contested cases for workers' compensation benefits and appropriating such fees to the division of workers' compensation within the department of workforce development.

SSB 3159 Registration and bonding requirements for contractors, and providing criminal and civil penalties.

HF 797 - Repeals workers’ compensation apportionment of successive injuries from benefits previously paid

Private Health Insurance Mandates – more than 20 mandates to expand insurance coverage for broadly defined mental illness, alcohol and substance abuse, enteral formulas, audio logical services and hearing aids for minors, eating disorders, reading difficulty and sexual disorders.   

NOTE:  Tax and Appropriation bills are not subject to funnel rules and remain alive until adjournment in late April.

Candidates Filing Petitions

Friday, March 14 marks the close of the filing period for candidates seeking elective office for the Iowa Legislature.  To appear on the June 3 primary ballot, candidates must submit petitions signed by citizens in their respective districts.  Several retirements in both the House and Senate have created a number of open seats expected to be quite competitive.  Watch for a special IIPAC Report on candidate match-ups next week.

Why I invest in IIPAC

“I support IIPAC to back legislators who understand the simple principles of economics.  When you have a vibrant business community, job growth occurs and wages increase because of demand.  Those jobs have the value of competitive wages and benefits to employees.  A non-supportive environment will cause the exact opposite.  A supportive business environment will actually help alleviate many of the social issues our state is trying to address currently.  If our state becomes business challenged it will be only those individual tax payers remaining who will carry the load”.

- Mark J. Hanawalt

  President, United Equipment Accessories, Inc.

  Gold Level IIPAC Contributor

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                                 Iowa Association of Business and Industry
                         904 Walnut Street, Suite #100
                           Des Moines, IA  50309
                          www.iowaabi.org
                           515-280-8000 / 800-383-4224