300 Main Street, Suite 200, Dubuque, IA 52001
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The legislature adjourned at 12:16am today, calling the 2022 session of the 89th General Assembly to a close.
Throughout session the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce fought on behalf of our members to support workforce solutions, promote economic development, and reduce regulation and taxes on our member businesses.
Most notably, the legislature passed a historic tax cut for Iowa families and business owners. On the individual side we will see all Iowan’s paying a flat, fair rate of 3.9% by 2026. Corporate taxes will also fall over the course of the coming years from our current 9.8% (ranked 46th in the country) to 5.5%, one of the most competitive rates in the region. The legislature also passed long advocated for changes to aircraft parts and labor sales taxes on general aviation vehicles, allowing the Dubuque Regional Airport to maintain a competitive position with other regional airports in neighboring states – this bill awaits signature by the governor.
With workforce issues continued to slow the growth of business, we worked hard to promote pro-business workforce policies to reduce barriers to employment and support workers re-entering the workforce. An end of year deal included the Iowa Employer Child Tax Credit program which will provide more than $2 million to support a credit of 10-25% on qualified employer expenses to support employee access to childcare – this deal still awaits final signature by the Governor. Childcare providers now have more flexibility in hiring and staffing their rooms after the legislature increased the staffing ratios for 2- and 3-year-old care to align with national averages and allowed 16- and 17-year-old professionals to staff rooms without supervision.
The Chamber also supported legislation to expand access to the last-dollar scholarship by allowing part-time and summer students to fully access the benefits of the program, which were previously reserved for full-time students. The education appropriations legislation maintains a significant increase in funding for the last dollar scholarship program and increased the Iowa Tuition Grant – which supports Iowa’s private colleges including Loras College, Clarke University, and University of Dubuque – by around $1.3 million.
We also fought hard for our small business owners in the restaurant and hospitality industry, supporting efforts to better regulate third-party delivery services and protect restauranteurs intellectual property and liability in such transactions and supported efforts to simplify the three-tier alcohol system in Iowa. Both efforts have passed and await signature by the governor.
This year’s legislative session lasted much longer than we had thought it would but significant work on behalf of Iowans and the business community was accomplished. We look forward to continuing to advance the priorities of the business community and will continue to advocate for workforce solutions as our businesses continue to struggle hiring and retaining top talent.
We thank our local legislative delegation: Senator Pam Jochum, Senator Carrie Koelker, Representative Shannon Lundgren, Representative Lindsay James, Representative Steve Bradley, and Representative Chuck Isenhart for their dedication to serving Iowa and Dubuque County residents.
If anyone has questions, feel free to contact Ryan Sempf, VP of Government & External Affairs at rsempf@dubuquechamber.com or (319) 270-7462.
