Week seven has been busy with debate, full committee meetings, subcommittee meetings and more. Here are a few highlights for this week.
A tax agreement has been passed by both the House and the Senate and is headed to the governor’s desk. A brief overview of this plan shows that this tax plan will: Reduce individual income tax for all Iowans to a fair and flat rate of 3.9%. That puts Iowa at the fourth lowest income tax rate in the country. Exempt retirement income from taxes and includes a new income exemption for retired farmers so we can keep more folks in Iowa after they retire. Make the corporate tax rate more competitive while reducing refund-ability on the state’s most expensive Refundable Corporate Tax Credits.
This week, House Republicans passed a bill to protect girls’ sports in Iowa. This is an issue that members in every district are hearing from Iowans about. Iowans have been asking for action to protect girls’ athletics, and sports organizations and school districts have been asking for guidance on the issue of transgender girls playing girls’ sports. Under this bill, only athletes assigned as female on their birth certificate are allowed to participate in school-sponsored girls athletics.
On Thursday, Feb. 17, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) issued a press release touting that a new study released today finds rebounding biofuels production in 2021 provided a strong boost to Iowa’s economy. The study, authored by John Urbanchuk of ABF Economics and commissioned by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), found the production of ethanol and biodiesel accounts for over $5 billion in state GDP, supports nearly 46,000 jobs throughout the economy, and boosts Iowa household income by more than $2.6 billion. All three metrics are up since 2020’s COVID downturn.
It is an honor to be in Des Moines representing District 95 and the people of Iowa. I encourage my constituents to contact me using my legislative email ([email protected]) with any comments, questions, or concerns. I look forward to another great week of representing the people of District 95