5 efforts worth fighting for to expand middle class
The 2013 Legislature is in overtime. While the Iowa House and Senate have agreed on how much to spend, we still need to hammer out the final details of a balanced state budget that makes smart...
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2013 Legislative Session in Review
GROWING IOWA’S MIDDLE CLASS Prepared by the Senate Democratic Staff May 23, 2013 (PDF: 2013 Session Highlights) This year, we took a comprehensive approach to creating a state where more Iowans have...
View Article2013 session will grow Iowa’s middle class
The Senate adjourned for the 2013 session late on May 22 with many successful efforts to strengthen and expand Iowa’s middle class. We took a comprehensive approach to creating a state where more...
View ArticleJob training at community colleges will boost economy
The final days of the 2013 session brought great news for Iowans who want to do more for their families, and for Iowa businesses in need of skilled employees. Thanks to the largest investment ever in...
View ArticleInvesting in our Main Street communities provides great returns
Iowa’s main streets are the heart of our small towns and urban neighborhoods. For almost three decades, “Main Street Iowa” has helped communities revitalize their local economies by capitalizing on...
View ArticleNew blog for Iowa businesses
The University of Northern Iowa provides all kinds on online resources for Iowa small businesses through www.MyEntre.Net. More than 11,000 small business owners use the site to improve and expand their...
View ArticleTop 7 Legislative Wins for Business
The Des Moines Business Record gives its list of the top ways the 2013 legislative session will help Iowa businesses: Property tax reform; Education reform; Innovation Fund Tax Credit; Economic...
View ArticleSenators, CJ execs talk job training
Fort Dodge Messenger - About 600 construction workers are entering the final stages of assembling the $320 million CJ Bio America plant west of Fort Dodge. The process of starting up the lysine...
View ArticleApply for State Historic Preservation Tax Credits
Applications for State Historic Preservation Tax Credits are being accepted through July 31. The program provides a state income tax credit of 25 percent of qualified rehabilitation costs for historic...
View ArticleNew tax breaks help expand Iowa’s middle class
Iowa’s growing economy has allowed us to cut taxes while balancing the state budget and protecting local services and schools. The changes we made during the 2013 session will put more money in the...
View ArticleSmall businesses benefit from property tax credit
Throughout this year’s overhaul of Iowa’s property tax system, Senate Democrats were committed to ensuring our small businesses got a boost. That’s why the reforms we approved include a Main Street...
View ArticlePreserving Iowa history draws big investment
Efforts to fix up Iowa’s historic properties and business districts got a boost this year. During the 2013 session, the Legislature expanded opportunities for Iowans to use State Historic Tax Credits....
View ArticleTackling Iowa’s need for more skilled workers
Iowa remains one of the most affordable places to live and do business, and that success is reflected in one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. So what can we do to keep Iowa’s economy...
View ArticleFree skills certification available to Iowans
Iowans who want to find out what they are qualified to do can get certified for free through “Skilled Iowa,” an initiative of Iowa Workforce Development. For more than a year, “Skilled Iowa” has been...
View Article“Produce Iowa” promotes homegrown media
Iowa’s State Office of Media Production has launched a new online tool that allows Iowa’s media workforce to showcase their skills and facilities to producers considering projects in our state. Iowa...
View ArticleBuy Iowa-made & boost economy
Do you like to support local workers and businesses? A newly launched website, Iowa Made Network, will help you connect with Iowa growers, creators and producers. The site, www.IowaMade.net, is a...
View ArticleCommunities can apply for Great Places designation
Through October 1, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is accepting Letters of Intent from Iowa communities interested in seeking designation as an Iowa Great Place and funding for related...
View ArticleState Senators urge their member of Congress, Rep. Latham, to help end...
(DES MOINES) Six Iowa state senators whose legislative districts are part of U.S. Representative Tom Latham’s Congressional district have asked him to help “reopen the government and prevent a...
View ArticleBeall: Iowa Central draws nearly 200 to Manufacturing Day
Iowa Central Community College held its inaugural Manufacturing Day Oct. 4, to help manufacturers begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face across the state and to showcase the existence of...
View ArticleInvestments grow Iowa jobs & middle class
During the 2013 session, we took big strides to expand Iowa’s middle class through job creation and economic growth initiatives, including the largest tax cut in state history. Fixing our state’s...
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