कोडी स्मिथ द्वारा, पूर्व कर्मचारी सदस्य
ग्रामीण आयोवालाई डेस मोइन्समा ल्याउँदै
Four months and seven days. That’s how long the 2021 Iowa legislative session lasted. Lawmakers completed their business and adjourned Wednesday night just before midnight. While this session was unlike any other and many challenges faced by rural Iowans remain unaddressed, we are proud of the work we have done together to achieve more investments in the rural communities where we work, live, and call home. From all of us at the Center for Rural Affairs—thank you for your commitment to rural Iowa.
This session you all delivered a combined 165 emails to state lawmakers in support of solar energy, small meat processors, and water quality. In addition, you helped bring forth more than 20 messages of support from small meat lockers, farmers, and landowners in favor of हाउस फाइल (HF) 857. Meanwhile, more than a dozen solar customers and advocates met with their legislators or called them directly to advocate for HF 221 to fix the Iowa Solar Tax Credit.
At the same time, with your help, we hosted a virtual Rural Resiliency Forum with three dozen attendees and organized a press conference that featured seven state lawmakers, two small meat processors, and two farmers in support of our priorities. In all, the Center has connected you all with 38 lawmakers over the last two years to advocate for changes that improve our quality of life in rural Iowa.
While this work continues and we remain committed to achieving progress next year, we’re proud to celebrate some significant wins..
This year the Center registered on 44 bills —we supported 23, opposed three, and monitored 18 others. Of the bills we supported, we’re proud to say that all but three passed in one form or another. Of the bills we opposed, not one gained final approval. Among the wins you helped secure were an investment of $100 million in rural broadband expansion, $750,000 in support for small meat processors, granting more tools to county officials to address flooding concerns, and expanding options for livestock producers to reduce their environmental footprint. Perhaps most exciting of all is that with your help we were able to draft, introduce, and pass an original Center amendment to target new state resources to small meat processors that employ less than 50 employees.
Again, we thank you for your commitment to rural Iowa.
ग्रामीण आर्थिक विकास
आयोवाको आर्थिक वृद्धि र विस्तारमा ग्रामीण अर्थतन्त्रले महत्त्वपूर्ण भूमिका खेल्छ। तपाईंको समर्थन र साझेदारीको लागि धन्यवाद, हामीले ग्रामीण आयोवाको भविष्यमा ऐतिहासिक लगानी सुरक्षित गर्न सांसदहरूसँग काम गरेका छौं।
हाउस फाइल (HF) 857-का लागि: आयोवा आर्थिक विकास प्राधिकरणद्वारा प्रशासित बुचरी नवप्रवर्तन र पुनरुत्थान कोष र कार्यक्रम स्थापना गर्ने र सामुदायिक कलेज कारीगर बुचरी कार्यक्रम स्थापना गर्ने सम्भाव्यता अन्वेषण गर्न कार्यदल सिर्जना गर्ने ऐन।
This bill, introduced by Rep. Chad Ingels, would give assistance to new and existing small meat lockers in the form of grants, low-interest loans, and forgivable loans to help them grow. The bill is designed to complement the Meat Processing Expansion and Development Program that ended in 2020. We helped achieve an amendment that targeted eligibility to meat lockers that employ less than 50 employees.
अद्यतन: This bill first passed the Iowa House on April 13 with a vote of 91-0 and again on May 19 with a vote of 88-0. The bill cleared the Senate 48-0 on May 19. Of the 2 subcommittee votes, three committee votes, and three floor votes, there was not a single vote against this bill, indicating its strong bipartisan support. The final budget for this program is $750,000 in total funding. We will continue our efforts to secure more funding from all available sources, including federal COVID relief dollars.
नवीकरणीय ऊर्जा
Unfortunately, the changes we sought to the Iowa Solar Tax Credit in House File 221 never made it out of the House Ways & Means Committee. For the more than 1,900 customers who are on the tax credit waitlist, the clock has run out and they will not get the credit they were promised. However, the last minute passage of HF 522 has given Iowa’s livestock producers another option to comply with air and water regulations and reduce their environmental footprint.
HF 221—For: व्यक्तिगत र कर्पोरेट आयकर, फ्रान्चाइज कर, पैसा र क्रेडिट कर, र प्रभावकारी मिति र पूर्वव्यापी लागू हुने प्रावधानहरू सहितको सौर्य ऊर्जा प्रणाली कर क्रेडिटसँग सम्बन्धित ऐन। प्रतिनिधि जाराड क्लेनद्वारा प्रस्तुत गरिएको, यो विधेयकले ग्रामीण आयोवाका किसानहरू, साना व्यवसायहरू र घरधनीहरूलाई सौर्य ऊर्जा खरिद गर्दा लगानीमा दीर्घकालीन प्रतिफल उत्पन्न गर्न मद्दत गर्नेछ। विधेयकले निम्न कुराहरू गर्नेछ:
- हाम्रो राज्यको सौर्य उद्योगको दीर्घकालीन वृद्धिलाई प्रवर्द्धन गर्न २०२१ देखि सुरु हुने गरी आयोवा सौर्य कर क्रेडिटमा राज्यले लगाएको सीमा $५ मिलियनबाट दोब्बर $१० मिलियन बनाउनुहोस्।
- सौर्य ऊर्जा प्रणाली खरिद गरिसकेका र आफ्नो ऋण प्राप्त गर्न पर्खिरहेका किसान, साना व्यवसाय र घरधनीहरूको वर्षौंदेखिको ब्याकलग तिर्न २०२१ मा थप ७० लाख डलर छुट्याउनुहोस्।
- आयोवा सोलार ट्याक्स क्रेडिटलाई संघीय लगानी कर क्रेडिट (ITC) बाट अलग गरेर र कुल परियोजना लागतको १५% मा राज्य क्रेडिट सेट गरेर आयोवाको स्वच्छ-ऊर्जा नेतृत्वलाई बलियो बनाउनुहोस्। हाल, क्रेडिट संघीय ITC को ५०% हुने लेखिएको छ, जसले आयोवाको स्वच्छ ऊर्जा भविष्यलाई अप्रत्याशित संघीय सरकारको दयामा छोड्छ।
- आयोवा सोलार ट्याक्स क्रेडिटको म्याद सकिने मिति डिसेम्बर ३०, २०३० तोक्नुहोस्।
अझै सिक:
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa’s Rural Future is Brighter with Solar
कानूनले आयोवाको स्वच्छ ऊर्जा भविष्यलाई उज्यालो बनाउन सक्छ
आयोवा वातावरणीय परिषद्का हाम्रा साझेदारहरूबाट यो स्रोत हेर्नुहोस्।
हाम्रा आधिकारिक टिप्पणीहरू यहाँ पढ्नुहोस्
HF १००-का लागि: An act providing that a qualified confinement feeding operation may utilize an anaerobic digester system to treat manure, and making penalties applicable.
This bill empowers Iowa’s livestock producers to utilize anaerobic digesters to treat manure and comply with air and water regulations. “Anaerobic digester system” means a manure storage structure that is covered, if the primary function of the manure storage structure is to process manure by employing environmental conditions including bacteria to break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, and is used for producing, collecting, and utilizing a biogas.
अद्यतन: This bill passed the Iowa House on Feb. 23 with a vote of 75-18 and passed the Iowa Senate on May 17 with a vote of 38-7.
पानीको गुणस्तर
Iowa’s water quality continues to be a key challenge for the Legislature. Unfortunately, not much has moved in regard to this issue during the 2021 legislative session. With the exception of the bill below and the funding provided through the agriculture and natural resources appropriations bill, lawmakers chose not to address this issue during the legislative session. We remain committed to working to advance evidence-based, bipartisan solutions to water resources management in the interim.
HF १००-का लागि: यो विधेयकले काउन्टी बाढी न्यूनीकरण गतिविधिहरूलाई "आवश्यक काउन्टी उद्देश्य" को रूपमा परिभाषित गर्न राज्य संहितालाई परिमार्जन गर्दछ, जसले काउन्टी पर्यवेक्षकहरूको बोर्डलाई ऋण सम्झौता गर्न र बन्डहरू अनुमोदन गर्न अनुमति दिनेछ, जुन अन्य आवश्यक काउन्टी उद्देश्यहरूको लागि अनुमति दिइएको छ।
अद्यतन: After passing the House with a vote of 93-0, HF 523 passed the Iowa Senate unanimously on April 28. Gov. Reynolds signed this bill into law on May 10.
