December 12, 2013
December 12, 2013
REMINDER: Early Deadline Ends Soon for Legislative Reception
Don’t forget to register for the 2014 Legislative Briefing and Reception to be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Over 150 members have registered for the event to be held at the Embassy Suites Downtown Des Moines. Ample free surface parking is available. Please register today!
REMINDER: January 15th is Deadline to Claim Business Property Tax Credit
The Department of Revenue is reminding commercial and industrial property owners that the deadline to apply for the tax credit portion of the property tax relief bill passed in the 2013 legislative session is January 15, 2014. It is important that the business owner make that claim with their city or county assessor by the date in order to qualify for the credit for the taxes payable through 2014. If the property owner fails to meet the January deadline, the next opportunity to apply won’t be until March of 2015. For more information about the credit please proceed to the Iowa Department of Revenuewebsite or to view the application please click here.
Revenue Estimating Conference Meets Today, State Agencies Make Budget Requests to IGOV
The Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) is set to meet today in Des Moines as part of its requirement to make revenue projections that will set the stage for the 2014 Legislative Session. The Governor and Legislature are required to use the projections from the December meeting as they plan for and operate the financial obligations of state government. Governor Branstad and the Legislature have instituted a biennial process where a bulk (85% or so) of the state budget is set in the first session of each General Assembly. While the Governor expected a majority of the state agencies to request “status quo” budgets, as this article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette highlights, there were some increased funding requests during this year’s round of department budget hearings. The REC is expected to provide projections indicating that Iowa is in a strong financial position. The debate is how the Governor and legislative officials will agree on how and where to invest portions of the surplus that has not already been used for 2013 legislative accomplishments. Conventional wisdom is shaping up to indicate 2014 should be a relatively quick session but it will include much discussion over the State of Iowa’s fiscal order.
BIPAC’s Annual Statewide Partners Conference Held this Week
As part of the partnership that ABI and EPIC have with BIPAC, ABI’s Vice President, Government Relations Nicole Crain, attended the annual BIPAC conference this week in Nashville, TN. The event is a valuable networking opportunity with public policy professionals from around the country who also participate in their respective states’ political process through educating member companies and employees about the importance of voting. The goal of the conference is to share best practices from across the country with regards to voter education on business issues and strategic political communication. The partnership we share with BIPAC is beneficial to every ABI member and we are fortunate to have them as a resource. To find out more about BIPAC please proceed here. To find out more about EPIC please proceed here.
Federal Spotlight: Bipartisan Budget Deal Announced, Hopes Dim for a Farm Bill
Candidate Field Now Set for January 7th Special Election
As reported last week, Governor Branstad directed that a special election be held on Jan. 7, 2014, for Iowa House District 25, which is being vacated by Rep. Julian Garrett following his special election to the Iowa Senate earlier in November. House District 25 is largely rural but includes the towns of Bevington, Cumming, Norwalk and Milo in Madison and Warren counties. The Republicans nominated Stan Gustafson, a retired attorney from Cumming, as their candidate. Earlier this week the Democrats nominated as their candidate Pam Deichmann who is the President of the Iowa Public Health Association. Deichmann resides in Winterset. Check www.iowaprosperity.com for more information.