The Dickey Dispatch – March 11th, 2022
by Senator Adrian Dickey
Next week is the 2nd funnel week, so most of the Senate’s ninth week was dedicated to floor debate. However the highlight of the week was seeing the results of a Des Moines Register poll that showed the majority of Iowans support the tax relief bill signed by Governor Reynolds last week. Most Iowans support the 3.9 flat tax meant to provide a simpler and fairer system for Iowa taxpayers. Since passing the bill, we have heard a lot of feedback about it. We have heard from grandparents who are thrilled about their retirement income being tax free. They can stay in Iowa year-round without paying tax on their retirement and they are excited to spend more time with their kids and grandkids. We have heard from small business owners happy to have a lower rate so they can put more money into their business or hire more workers.
Tax relief has always been a priority for Senate Republicans. This policy represents months of hard work to make Iowa a better place to live, work, and make home. It is a policy that encourages work and rewards success, makes Iowa more competitive with other states and helps our state grow. Implementing a fair flat tax for Iowans gets us one step closer to eventually eliminating the income tax in Iowa.
Senate File 2357 also passed the Senate this week. This bill requires a school board member to vote yay, nay, or abstain on all matters before their board. Iowans expect elected officials to be clear with their opinions on specific issues, even if they don’t agree. Transparency in government bodies, at any level, is expected by Iowans and they deserve to know where their elected officials stand on issues impacting them. This bill ensures community members know where their school board members stand on issues in front of the board.
Dairy related issues took center stage on Wednesday. The Senate debated SF 2290 to foster and develop innovation in the traditional dairy industry. Last year the Legislature passed, and the governor signed, a bill commonly referred as the Butcher Bill to address the overwhelming demand for meat processing in Iowa exacerbated by the pandemic. SF 2290 applies a number of those policy initiatives to the dairy industry as well. It creates a Dairy Processing and Milk Production Innovation and Revitalization program in the Iowa Economic Development Authority in coordination with the Iowa Department of Agriculture. An artisanal dairy study is also created to explore establishing an artisanal dairy processing program at a community college or university. The goal of this bill is to help create new career opportunities in the dairy industry and expand economic development in rural Iowa.
On Wednesday I was also able to meet with Dee Sandquist, who is a Jefferson County Supervisor, to hear concerns of my local supervisors, get their opinion on some legislative ideas that I have, and discuss recent legislation that impacts them. The conversation was great and it was enjoyable to hear their perspective on how some of the things that we do in Des Moines affects them.
I wrapped up the week up on Thursday by holding a subcommittee then a Labor and Business Relations meeting on a bill from the House, HF 2411. This bill would require an employer to pay for the replacement of additional prosthetic limb devices in the event that a worker loses a limb while at work. It is hard to understand why our current law only requires the employer to pay for the cost of the initial device, but not additional devices down the road as they wear out.
While I liked the concept of the bill, as a business owner I had some additional concerns. I drafted an amendment that would require these additional funds to be set aside in a protected fund that could only be used to pay for the replacement of the prosthetic devices. This way the employer and the employee could reach a settlement that would include a dollar amount for the future cost of additional prosthetic devices, and the workers compensation insurance company would be able to fund that account for the amount necessary for future devices and then close the case, as opposed to having it open for another 20 or 30 years. Additionally, the future health insurance provider would not be responsible for the replacement of the device, and the employee would not have to worry about mistakenly spending the money on some other purchase (car, motorcycle, etc.) and then not having the funds available when the need for a new prosthetic device was needed. It was one of those few bills that has support by everyone.
Saturday I will be busy with attending 5 different county conventions throughout the day. This is another step in our democratic process in gaining support and rallying fellow Republicans to share our thoughts and develop the planks in our platform that were started at our local caucuses back in February. Because several of these conventions overlap in time, my visits at some of them will be brief, but I hope to be able to see many of you.
As always, thank you for letting me serve you and this great state!
