With second funnel complete, focus shifts to spending

March 10, 2016

All bills not related to tax and spending must have made it through one chamber and a committee in another in order to remain alive for the session. After the first funnel, several health care and employment mandates were still moving through the process; however, ABI successfully defeated several anti-business policy bills before they could slip through the second funnel. As always, the public policy team will keep watch for amendments and proposals that may affect your ability to employ people and do business in Iowa. Below is a list of proposals that did/did not survive the second funnel. 

For more information about the issues below, please contact a member of the ABI public policy team. You can also learn more at the Iowa Business Day on the Hill on Tuesday, March 15. Click here to register.

Key Bills

Alive:
SF 2303 - Couples with Federal tax code, codifies consumables for manufacturers
HF 2392 - Modernizes career and technical education programs (ABI supports)
HF 2288/SF 2300- Provides renewable chemical production tax credit (ABI supports)
HF 2260 - Extends statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure and addresses funding inequities (ABI is monitoring)
SF 398 - Supports outreach and education for wage payment claims, requires written payroll information (ABI is monitoring)
HF 2431 - Levels playing field for micro-distillers (ABI supports)
HF 2382 - Gov. Terry Branstad’s proposal to extend the statewide penny sales tax and designate a portion of the revenue for water quality (ABI is monitoring)
SF 2280 - Creates an enhance Iowa program to increase investment in quality of life initiatives (ABI supports)
HSB 617 - Provides exemption from Iowa income tax when companies bring employees to state to work on disaster recovery efforts (ABI supports)
SF 410 - As amended, mandates coverage of abuse-deterrent opioids at same cost as generics (ABI opposes)
SF 2218 - Provides guidelines for the possession and administration of emergency drugs as administered by first responders (ABI is monitoring)
SF 2154 - Makes adjustments requested by the Economic Development Authority (ABI is monitoring)

Dead:
SF 2193 - Prohibits wage questions between employers and potential employees, increases litigation and establishes an equal pay task force. (ABI opposes)
SF 2240 - Ban the Box: Prevents employers from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal background on an application. (ABI opposes)
SF 2252 - Requires employers to provide accommodations for expecting and new mothers. Legislation expands initial SF 313 to change burden of proof in cases and makes companies vulnerable to frivolous lawsuits. (ABI opposes)
SF 2243 - Requires employers to provide paid time off for prenatal care to full and part-time employees (ABI opposes)
SF 2204 - Requires health insurance plans to cover eating disorder treatment (ABI opposes)
SF 2254 - Requires employer health insurance plans with more than 50 employees to cover autism treatment. (ABI opposes)
SF 2274 - Outlines a process for debarment of contracts with state agencies (ABI is monitoring)
SF 2251 - Relates to the regulation of anhydrous ammonia tanks and establishing task force
SF 2121 - Establishes database at the Iowa Utilities Board to track proprietary energy usage and make available to local governments, entities and individuals doing energy research (ABI opposes)
SF 2034 - Establishes a minimum solar energy purchasing standard (ABI opposes)
HF 2246 - Mandates paid sick and safe time for employees (ABI opposes)