Por Cody Smith, ex miembro del personal
The Iowa Legislature just wrapped up the fourth week of its 2021 legislative session. Bills are moving at a record pace, and we’re doing our best to deliver comments, share resources, and work with legislators to achieve policy solutions that improve the quality of life across rural Iowa. From renewable energy to water quality and rural broadband, we are registered for, against, and undecided on 18 bills as we go into Week 5—and we need your voice now more than ever.
Gracias por su compromiso con la zona rural de Iowa.
Estos son los proyectos de ley que estamos siguiendo:
Energías renovables
In the days since our last legislative update, renewable energy legislation has taken center stage in our efforts at the Capitol. We’ve been advocating on behalf of rural Iowans’ ability to take advantage of solar energy while pushing back on other bills to protect private property rights across the state.
Archivo de la casa (HF) 221-Para: An Act relating to the solar energy system tax credit available against the individual and corporate income tax, the franchise tax, the moneys and credits tax, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. Introduced by Rep. Jarad Klein, this bill would help farmers, small businesses, and homeowners across rural Iowa generate a long-lasting return on investment when they purchase solar energy. The bill would:
Double the state-imposed cap on the Iowa Solar Tax Credit from $5 million to $10 million beginning in 2021 to promote the long-term growth of our state’s solar industry.
- Asignar $7 millones adicionales en 2021 para pagar los atrasos de años de agricultores, pequeñas empresas y propietarios de viviendas que ya han comprado sistemas de energía solar y han estado esperando recibir su crédito.
- Fortalecer el liderazgo de Iowa en energías limpias desvinculando el Crédito Fiscal para Energía Solar de Iowa del Crédito Fiscal para Inversiones (ITC) federal y fijando el crédito estatal en el 15% del costo total del proyecto. Actualmente, el crédito está configurado al 50% del ITC federal, lo que deja el futuro de Iowa en energías limpias a merced de un gobierno federal impredecible.
- Establezca el 30 de diciembre de 2030 como fecha de vencimiento para el Crédito Fiscal Solar de Iowa.
UPDATE: Last week, we sent you an action alert calling for your support of this bill. Your voices helped advance this bill with unanimous support out of the House subcommittee! HF 221 now sits in the full House Ways & Means Committee and we encourage you to click here to send a customizable email to your state legislators, contáctelos directamente, or write a letter to the editor to your local newspaper in support of this bill! We are also supportive of similar bills HF 323 y SF 215.
Aprenda más:
La legislación podría iluminar el futuro de la energía limpia de Iowa
Check out this resource from our partners at the Iowa Environmental Council.
Read our official comments here.
Proyecto de Ley de Estudio del Senado (SSB) 1088 / Proyecto de ley de estudio de la casa (HSB) 149—Against: An Act relating to vegetation management by certain electric suppliers. As written, these bills give municipal utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and investor-owned utilities widespread authority to remove any vegetation within an electric distribution line corridor. We believe there should be changes that protect private property rights, conduct a clear assessment of the risks that may, or may not be, posed by existing vegetation. In addition, we are advocating for a clear remedial process for affected property owners.
UPDATE: Both of these bills have advanced out of subcommittee and are in the Senate and House Commerce committees, respectively.
Aprenda más:
Lea nuestros comentarios oficiales aquí.
SSB 1152-Indeciso: An Act relating to wind energy conversion facilities and making penalties applicable. This bill aims to set financial requirements for the decommissioning of wind turbines while also setting standards for land restoration after completion.
Calidad del agua
We are working hard to secure resources for watershed management authorities, watershed coordinators, and other locally directed watershed improvement efforts. Right now, we’re working to establish a Watershed Advancements That Enhance Resources (WATER) Pilot Program through which the Iowa Department of Natural Resources would grant three, three-year, $300,000 grants to eligible watershed management authorities to staff a watershed coordinator. We continue to believe that Iowa’s water quality, flood mitigation, and outdoor recreation efforts are most successful when we empower our communities to chart their own paths forward. We will continue to provide updates as we make progress on these important topics.
HSB 56-IndecisoEste proyecto de ley, patrocinado por el representante Bobby Kaufmann, modifica el código estatal para definir las actividades de mitigación de inundaciones del condado como un "propósito esencial del condado", lo que permitiría a las juntas de supervisores del condado contraer deuda y aprobar bonos, según lo permitido, para otros propósitos esenciales del condado.
UPDATE: A subcommittee meeting for this bill was held on Feb. 1; as of Feb. 9, it has not advanced.
Archivo del Senado (SF) 1-Indeciso: Sponsored by Sen. Brad Zaun, this legislation modifies state code that defines which animal feeding operations are, and are not, identified as single operations in law. The intent is to comply with air and water regulations on animal feeding operations, as enforced by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
SF 52-Indeciso: An Act prohibiting the sale or use of pesticides containing a compound belonging to the neonicotinoid class of chemicals, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.
Desarrollo económico rural
There has been a flurry of legislation relating to agriculture, beginning farmers, small businesses, and a variety of other topics regarding rural economic development. While we are tracking each of the following bills, we see the most promise in bills investing in rural broadband, altering the beginning farmer tax credit, and promoting investments in small businesses.
SSB 1089 / HSB 133-Para: An Act relating to broadband service, including matters under the purview of the office of the chief information officer, the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Fund, and including effective date and applicability provisions.
Este es el proyecto de ley de banda ancha de la gobernadora Kim Reynolds, que anunció en su Discurso sobre el Estado del Estado en enero. En total, el proyecto de ley destinaría 150 millones de dólares a la expansión de la banda ancha este año fiscal y hasta un total de 450 millones de dólares para 2025. Nos entusiasma esta inversión pionera en banda ancha rural. Además de nuestro apoyo, instamos a los legisladores a que adopten una definición clara de lo que significa "rural" en el proyecto de ley. Hemos sugerido utilizar la clasificación de condado "no metropolitano" según la define el Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos.
UPDATE: A subcommittee hearing on SSB 1089 was Feb. 1; the bill has not yet advanced. Members of the subcommittee are Sens. Koelker, Lykam, Schultz, Wahls, and Williams.
HSB 1-ParaEste proyecto de ley, patrocinado por el representante Lee Hein, se refiere a los créditos fiscales otorgados por la autoridad de desarrollo económico por contribuciones de capital específicas a fondos certificados para el crecimiento de empresas rurales, destinados a la inversión en negocios que cumplan con los requisitos. El proyecto de ley permitiría a los inversionistas privados recaudar capital para fondos dedicados a apoyar a las pequeñas empresas rurales. Las contribuciones a dichos fondos son elegibles para un crédito fiscal. El monto del crédito fiscal depende del número de empleos creados por las empresas que reciben el apoyo del fondo.
SSB 1144 / HSB 167-Indeciso: An Act relating to the beginning farmer tax credit program, modifying participation and lease agreement requirements and tax credit amounts, and including effective date provisions.
UPDATE: A subcommittee meeting on HSB 167 was held on Feb. 3; the bill has not yet advanced.
HF 242-Indeciso: An Act relating to agricultural lease agreements entered into by eligible taxpayers and qualified beginning farmers participating in the beginning farmer tax credit program, allowing an eligible taxpayer’s unused tax credit to be transferred to the qualified beginning farmer, and including effective date provisions.
HF 112-Indeciso: An Act relating to certain tax credits and assistance awarded by the economic development authority, and including effective date provisions.
UPDATE: A subcommittee meeting for this bill was Jan. 28; the bill has not yet advanced.
SF 68-IndecisoEste proyecto de ley, patrocinado por el senador Chris Cournoyer, modifica las leyes estatales de tránsito para exigir que los conductores de vehículos motorizados adelanten a los ciclistas de la misma manera legal que cuando adelantan a otros vehículos motorizados. Este proyecto de ley parece priorizar la seguridad de los ciclistas y promover la recreación al aire libre en las zonas rurales de Iowa.
