Mission Statement
To advocate economic growth policies that foster the prosperity of Iowa through the successful development of new and existing business and industry. Vigorous economic growth results from a superior business, regulatory, and tax climate as well as a safe, reliable, energy-efficient transportation system for the movement of goods and people. To improve the competitiveness of Iowa’s business climate, government must work in partnership with business, industry, education, and agriculture.
Iowa Economic Development
ABI strongly supports economic growth efforts to improve business and community development programs and foster an environment for new and existing businesses to succeed and invest in our state, increasing prosperity for Iowans. Areas of opportunity include:
• Quantity and quality of Iowa’s workforce
• Fair and consistent regulatory and tax policy
• Enhanced quality of life
• Access to quality information technology
• Public infrastructure
• Streamlining government
Right to Work
For more than half a century, Iowa’s Right to Work law as been a critical and important factor, as well as an incentive in helping to maintain and increase Iowa’s economic development and business retention opportunities.
ABI supports Iowa’s Right to Work law as a vital freedom for all Iowans. No one in the public sector or in private industry should be forced to join a union or pay dues or fees to a union in order to get or keep a job.
Economic Growth Incentives
ABI supports effective business development incentives including:
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Job Training
ABI supports funding job training programs at levels necessary to maintain Iowa’s competitive advantage for job skill training.
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Business Growth Incentives
ABI supports tax credits and incentives to encourage business growth and job creation. ABI supports incentives for capital formation, research activities and new jobs credits applied against insurance premium taxes.
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Tax Increment Financing
ABI supports Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as a valuable and highly versatile economic development tool. TIF elements of local control and flexibility are particularly appealing. It is imperative that this tool be retained as a flexible, viable and locally controlled economic growth tool.
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Community Development
ABI supports the Endow Iowa program, the Community Attraction and Tourism program and other programs designed to enhance local community development efforts plus the work of community foundations as tools for enhancing the quality of life in Iowa’s communities.
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Grow Iowa Values Fund
ABI supports the Grow Iowa Values Fund funding for state marketing, technical assistance to businesses and communities, workforce, infrastructure and business development incentives. ABI supports re-evaluation of qualifications for incentives to maximize project eligibility.
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Energy Policy
ABI urges our lawmakers and regulators to continue to act on an energy policy that will bring long-term benefits to all Iowans, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of energy and implement regulatory changes that will allow Iowa businesses to better compete on a national level. ABI encourages the expansion of base load generation, renewable fuels, wind production, increased transmission capacity, and maintaining incentives to consumers and industries to use such products, while avoiding mandates.
Our state’s economic development future is dependent upon the availability, reliability and affordability of energy.
Transportation
ABI believes high quality, accessible and affordable transportation services are critically important to the ongoing economic growth of Iowa and the enhancement of Iowa’s quality of life. Competitive and reliable transportation of people and goods should include:
• Air service
• Highway infrastructure
• Rail services
• Waterway infrastructure
ABI supports the cost-effective allocation of state financial resources for transportation and further encourages a comprehensive study of the economic development impact. ABI supports final design and corridor route decisions, including those requiring environmental policy decisions, be made by the Iowa Department of Transportation. ABI opposes environmental policy standards that add exorbitant costs to transportation infrastructure improvements. ABI supports the cost-effective allocation of state financial resources for transportation.
Transportation Infrastructure
ABI strongly commends the work of the Iowa Department of Transportation and the General Assembly regarding Iowa’s public roads system and specifically the Transportation Investment Moves the Economy in the 21st Century (TIME 21) Report. ABI encourages serious deliberation of the funding options to address the critical needs and growing revenue shortages that have been identified.
Diversion of User Fees and Road Use Tax Funds
ABI believes that user fees and taxes assessed for one mode of transportation should not be used nor diverted to another mode of transportation, or diverted for non-transportation purposes.
TIME 21
ABI encourages serious deliberation of the funding options to address the critical needs and growing revenue shortages that have been identified regarding Iowa’s transportation infrastructure.
Diversion of User Fees and Road Use Tax Funds
ABI believes that user fees and taxes assessed for one mode of transportation should not be used nor diverted to another mode of transportation, or diverted for non-transportation purposes.
Research and Development
ABI strongly supports investment in research and development to eliminate obsolescence in the workforce and technology, and to supply resources for innovation in Iowa.
ABI strongly supports state R&D and assistance programs that leverage federally funded programs. Priority should go to those programs that are frequently, consistently and independently monitored for their effectiveness and where tax revenues are generated in excess of their program costs.
Strategic Growth
ABI supports collaborative efforts of the public and private sectors toward economic development opportunities in renewable energy, biosciences, information technologies, and advanced manufacturing.
Entrepreneurial Growth
ABI supports collaborative efforts by the state, universities, colleges, communities, and the private sector to encourage commercialization and empower Iowa’s entrepreneurs through development of a dynamic and robust entrepreneurial business climate.
Privatization/Government Competition
ABI supports subcontracting of appropriate public services to the private sector in an effort to reduce state expenditures or to avoid unfair competition with the private sector. ABI believes state agencies and political subdivisions should not compete with taxpaying, private-sector vendors for goods and services offered by the private sector.
