Local attractions draw visitors, enhance community
Iowa’s Community Attraction & Tourism (CAT) program has enhanced local recreation, culture, entertainment and learning since 2000. CAT grants help communities develop multipurpose attraction and...
View ArticleExpanding outdoor recreation in Iowa
Iowa’s parks, recreation areas and open spaces contribute to our state’s environmental, physical, emotional and social wellbeing while bolstering the economy. A 2012 report on the Economic Value of...
View ArticleCall issued for special session to restore education, mental health care...
For Immediate Release: July 13, 2015 Decisions by individual legislators will determine fate of Governor’s vetoes (Des Moines) Iowa’s State Senators are being formally asked to support an effort to...
View ArticleWhich legislators will abandon bipartisan compromise to increase local school...
Deadline for local legislators to call for special session less than a week away July 23, 2015 Time is running out on Iowa legislators who have not yet joined the call for a special session to...
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Senator Courtney urges Secretary of State Pate to reject new voter...
State Senator Tom Coutney of Burlington August 24, 2015 DES MOINES — A key state senator today called on Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to formally pledge not to use federal funds for any future...
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Three months after vetoing education funding, Governor seeks to unilaterally...
Senator Joe Bolkcom Statement by Senator Joe Bolkcom, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee “This July, when Governor Branstad vetoed the $56 million, one-time funding compromise for Iowa’s...
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Five Questions Governor Branstad Needs to Answer Before Medicaid Privatization
November 22, 2015 Statement by Senator Joe Bolkcom, member of the Legislature’s Health Policy Oversight Committee NUMBER ONE: Governor Branstad, you have consistently claimed that using private...
View ArticleTourism creates jobs, boosts economy
Each year, the Legislature makes strategic investments in the arts, cultural endeavors and historic preservation. These efforts stimulate continued growth in Iowa’s tourism industry, an important job...
View ArticleHigh-speed Internet provides economic growth
During the 2015 session, the House and Senate cast a strong bipartisan vote to expand high-speed Internet to every corner of the state. This is crucial to continued economic growth in all industries:...
View ArticleApprenticeships prepare Iowans for skilled work
Iowa is one of the top states for apprentice growth with more than 750 certified apprenticeships, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Registered apprenticeships are a proven approach to...
View ArticleBetter training & education will help expand Iowa’s middle class
We should do all that we can to help more workers and their families join Iowa’s middle class. As 2015 comes to an end, Iowa continues its recovery from the national economic recession. We’re making...
View ArticleWorking for you in 2016
The 2016 legislative session starts this Monday, January 11. Our primary job is listening to you—our constituents—and ensuring the state honors its commitments to Iowa families. These commitments...
View ArticleCommunity colleges build a skilled Iowa workforce
As Iowa continues to rebound from the national recession, our local businesses need more workers with the qualifications to fill skilled job openings. Iowa faces both challenges and opportunities in...
View ArticleIowa leads in wind energy
Iowa has passed California to become the #2 ranked state nationally with more than 6,000 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, according to a national report by the American Wind Energy...
View ArticleIowa has skilled job openings to fill
One of the biggest challenges Iowa faces is ensuring students and workers have good career opportunities, and business have access to the skilled employees they need. But we are on the right track with...
View ArticleIowa’s growing solar industry is good for economy
Iowa’s solar industry is growing with the help of successful policies that create jobs, promote installation and expand businesses. Iowa’s solar tax incentive, enacted in 2012, offsets up to 15...
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“Stuck in the Iowa House”
Iowans have lots of good ideas, ideas that the Iowa Senate passed in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, they are now stuck in the Iowa House. It’s time for the Iowa House to take up these common sense...
View ArticleSpurring economic growth by cleaning up buildings
A new grant program will help communities clean up neglected buildings and spur economic growth. Many Iowa towns have underutilized, dilapidated buildings. To address the problem, the Iowa Senate...
View ArticleTax credit will spur Iowa ag & biosciences
Iowa’s abundance of biomass feedstock offers opportunities for economic growth beyond food and fuel. Senate File 2300, which passed the Iowa Senate on a bipartisan vote on March 16, would further...
View ArticleAttracting visitors & new workers by enhancing quality of life
Workforce development must be an Iowa priority, according to the Iowa Business Council’s 2016 report. To fill an expected 612,000 job openings by 2025, we need to attract and retain more workers....
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