E-15 bill is good for Iowa and Iowa farmers

Several priorities moved forward this week at the Capitol with a number of important pieces of legislation being sent to the governor for her signature.

This week the Senate passed House File 2128, implementing new fuel standards in Iowa and requiring most gas stations to sell E-15. The bill allows various exemptions if a retailer is unable to meet these requirements, including a suspension by the governor or several waivers through the Department of Agriculture.

This bill will expand access to renewable fuels, boost incomes for Iowa farmers, and give more choice to Iowa consumers. The ethanol industry is indispensable to Iowa’s economy. This bill supports the ethanol industry, agriculture, and shows Iowa is a leader in ethanol and biofuels.

Throughout discussions on this legislation, we heard many concerns from smaller retailers who might not have the finances they would need to make the necessary upgrades to meet the requirements in the bill.

To address these issues and help prioritize support for smaller retailers that dispense less than 450,000 gallons per year, the bill makes changes to the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Program (RFIP) to help retail sites install, replace, or convert infrastructure to help meet these new requirements. It also provides small retailers with an additional exemption based on a site’s average fuel sales.

House File 2128 is a good bill for Iowa and Iowa farmers, supports nearly 40,000 jobs in rural communities, and takes a step towards energy independence. It passed the Iowa Senate 42-3 on Tuesday and passed the Iowa House later that day. It now goes to Governor Reynolds for her signature.

With the progress of these bills, we are several steps closer to adjourning for the year.

Unemployment Reforms on Governor’s Desk

Since the economy reopened after the pandemic, almost immediately workforce became a principal issue. Governor Reynolds made workforce issues a priority in her legislative agenda this year. This week the House and Senate approved a compromise measure reforming and updating Iowa’s unemployment insurance program.

HF 2355 changed the length of unemployment benefits from 6 months to 4 months. With 85,000 job openings, tens of thousands more openings than Iowans on unemployment, opportunities abound.

With so many parts of the economy struggling to find workers and some employers closing their doors because they can’t find help, it’s time to address the barriers to re-entering the workforce for some of the unemployed.

Finally, this bill is expected to save the unemployment trust fund $75,000,000. Those savings will likely lead to a reduction in unemployment taxes employers must pay. Lower unemployment taxes allow them to create new career opportunities or invest in their businesses, employees, and communities.

The recent explosion of federal government spending has led to record inflation undermined the value of our dollar. Government payments replacing work has hamstrung many parts of the economy and even caused some businesses to close completely because of the lack of available workers. This law is designed to get Iowans back into the workforce more quickly and address this pressing need.

Democrats talk on and on about the workforce shortage. But, when it comes time to vote, they oppose the policies to address Iowa’s workforce needs. Earlier this session they voted against the largest tax cut in Iowa history. They also voted against this bill reforming unemployment policies to get Iowans back to work faster.

While Democrats leave Iowans with nothing but empty rhetoric, Senate Republicans will continue to do the hard work of addressing Iowa’s workforce shortage and expanding the economy with pro-growth policies.