Iowa advances bills through second funnel

Last week, the Iowa Legislature reached its second funnel deadline. For bills to pass the second funnel, they must pass floor debate in one chamber and be through committee in the other. Bills that do not meet this deadline are generally considered dead. Bills that are in the Ways and Means, Appropriations or Government Oversight Committees or deal with the budget are exempt. The Quad Cities Chamber actively advocates for legislation that supports our Regional Advocacy Priorities.

Bills the Quad Cities Chamber is tracking that survived the second funnel

COVID-19 Response

• SF 364 - Allows certain deductions relating to the paycheck protection program loan forgiveness. Successor to SSB 1175. Support
• HF 512 - Excludes stimulus checks, PPP loans and unemployment compensation from state income taxes. Support

Economic Development

• HF 348  - Creates a manufacturer activities tax credit available against the individual and corporate income taxes. Monitor
• HF 849 - Establishes two new duration limits for city and county ordinances establishing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) areas; limits the duration of TIF areas to 20-years and requires any existing TIF area to have a sunset date of no later than July 1, 2041. Oppose

Business Climate and Taxation

• SF 492 - Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Tax Reform. Monitor
• SF 576 - Authorizes future tax contingencies, reducing the state inheritance tax rates and providing for the future repeal of the state inheritance tax and state qualified use inheritance tax and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. Monitor
• SF 587 - Transitions mental health funding mechanism from property taxes to state funding and phases out the property tax backfill over six years. Monitor
• HF 582 & SF 295 – Governor’s housing bill; doubles the workforce housing tax credit and redevelopment credit, establishes an Iowa housing tax credit program and creates a disaster recovery housing assistance program. Support

Education and Workforce Development

• HF 301 – Establishes as childcare workforce state matching grant program to communities. Support
• HF 302 – Intended to address the childcare cliff effect, this bill establishes an eligibility phase-out program for state childcare assistance. Support
• HF 370 - Creates a tax credit of up to $150,000 to encourage employers to provide childcare to their employees. Support
• HF 606 – Allows businesses with new or expanded onsite daycare facilities to qualify as projects under the high-quality jobs program. Support
• HF 712 - Creates a workforce childcare facility incentives program to be administered by IEDA that will provide tax credits to developers that build childcare facilities. Support

Transportation and Infrastructure

• SF 390 & HF 848 -The governor’s broadband proposal that would expand broadband funding to $450 million over three years on Empower Iowa grants for projects that provide service at a minimum of 100 megabits per second for both downloads and uploads in areas with no service or lower-speed service. Support
• HF 523  - Amends the definition of essential county purpose to include activities related to flood mitigation. Support

Healthcare

• SF 557 & HF 592 – Cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Support

Bills that did not pass the funnel

• SF 339 – Prohibits employers from knowingly employing unauthorized aliens and provides penalties for first and second offenses. Monitor
• SF 555 - Prohibits an employer from failing or refusing to hire, discharge, penalize or otherwise discriminate based on an employee’s COVID-19 vaccination history. Monitor

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