Chamber brings legislative agenda to state representatives

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance announced their 2020 state legislative agenda Tuesday morning. District 84 State Rep. Joe Mitchell, R-Wayland, and District 42 State Sen. Rich Taylor, D-Mt. Pleasant, attended the gathering to share what they plan to work on as they enter the new legislative session.

About 30 members of the Mt. Pleasant community were present for the unveiling of the agenda. Kristi Ray, executive director of the Chamber, gave an overview of the seven governing principles that guided the nonprofit's drafting of the agenda. Ray explained that the agenda was based on responses from a survey the Chamber sent out to local businesses, inquiring about issues they wanted to see addressed. The agenda was overseen by the government affairs committee of the Chamber.

'We believe these principles best suit our mission to enhance the quality of life for the people of Henry County through economic development,” Ray said of the governing principles, which included economic development, workforce and housing, education, health care, transportation and infrastructure and tax policy.

For each principle, the committee determined several priorities it hoped state representatives would be able to help address. Ray highlighted three recommendations that were made by a citizens committee under Gov. Reynold's Empower Rural Iowa Initiative that were also present in the Chamber's legislative priorities.

'[The committee] came up with three main issues that directly affect our community, and I would like to ask for your support of those. They are assisting rural Iowa communities in obtaining housing needs, housing needs assessments and reforming the workforce housing tax credit to make it more competitive … creating an empowered rural community recognition program, specifically creating leadership pathways for those in the rural areas … and optimizing broadband grant program to ensure state funding stretches as far as possible,” Ray explained.

Other items on the Chamber's agenda included programs for rural business development, recruitment efforts that focus on bringing populations from outside of Iowa, equitable education funding, recognition of emergency management services as an essential service and the reduction of corporate income taxes.

Following Ray's overview of the legislative priorities, Taylor addressed community members and touched on several issues he hopes to bring to the legislature. Taylor noted that he has several bills he is working on, including a bill that will expand broadband.

'I have a bill introduced that will raise our participation from the state from the $5 million a year to $10 million a year,” Taylor said. He hopes his bill will help smaller companies in rural areas through aid with applications to have access to state funding for broadband.

Taylor also explained that he is working to get transportation taken out of local school budgets, stating that rural areas have higher bussing costs as compared to urban areas. The senator noted that taking transportation out of the school budget would allow rural districts 'an equal playing field on what they can actually spend to educate their students.”

Finally, Taylor also explained that addressing the emergency medical services (EMS) in rural areas is a top priority for him. Titled the Essential Services Bill, Taylor explained that the new piece of legislation would allow counties and cities to tax for EMS separately from their general fund.

State Rep. Joe Mitchell similarly highlighted several policy items he is working to address at the upcoming legislative session. Mitchell explained that he is working on connecting recruiting and workforce programs with rural areas in Iowa to address recruitment issues and is working to create a state funded matching grant that would help offset costs for businesses who are looking to recruit workers from other areas.

Mitchell, who is also on the Iowa's Future Caucus, explained that he, along with other representatives are examining ways to attract and retain young people in the state and are looking to create a grant program that would encourage a 'grant specifically for smaller communities that would help developers build wineries and restaurants that young people will want to hang out in.”

The third policy item Mitchell highlighted was the Clean Slate Act, a piece of legislation that would help those who had previously been convicted of a crime but had 'been clean for five, ten, fifteen years to seal their records.” Mitchell explained that the act would allow formerly convicted individuals to apply for jobs 'with dignity.”