Stories

In light of historic budget cuts recently implemented by Gov. Chet Culver due to a downturn in revenue projections, the state should increase its investment in postsecondary education for low-income adults. The investment would improve economic prospects for Iowa families, and in the process boost the state budget, according to the nonpartisan group Iowa Policy [...]

Gov. Chet Culver’s re-election campaign announced Tuesday it was launching its second television advertisement.
The ad will air in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids markets as well as some cable around the state. It is titled “Stronger Than Ever” and focuses on the governor’s response to last year’s flooding and to the state’s economic downturn.

In order for Iowa to become the “economic engine of the Midwest,” the Hawkeye State should phase out its income tax, according to GOP gubernatorial hopeful Christian Fong.
It’s a theme he’s returned to repeatedly over the last few weeks, first in a series of town halls, then in a blog post on the conservative Hawkeye [...]

“The pace of job losses slowed in April, suggesting that the Iowa economy may be in the early stages of a turn,” said Elisabeth Buck, director of Iowa Workforce Development.

While the party ranks highly in several positive categories, Iowa Republicans are viewed in a very negative light by a large segment of the public, according to the results of a poll released last week conducted for a state GOP group.
When given a list of traits and asked which party fits the description best, Iowa [...]

A bill that authorizes the state to borrow $105 million was approved late Friday night by the Iowa Senate.
On a vote of 30-19, lawmakers gave approval to Senate File 477, which would allow the state to issue bonds totaling $100 million for vertical infrastructure improvements and $5 million for alternative energy projects.
The bill is expected [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — A boisterous, if not out-right angry, crowd of about 100 people gathered in downtown today to protest government spending and high taxes.

Rep. Paul Bell, D-Newton, has joined four of his fellow House Democrats in publically stating he will oppose a bill to eliminate federal deductibility.
House File 807, which would end Iowans’ ability to subtract federal taxes from their income when figuring their state taxes, was intended to make a fairer tax structure for Iowa and lower [...]

The state’s $600 million budget shortfall creates “an urgency to reform government, to sharpen the saw, to get rid of the waste and really focus on our priorities,” GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats said in an interview with the Iowa Independent.

Don’t believe everything you read in a magazine. That’s the message Mike Tramontina, director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED), has for those who read a scathing assessment of Iowa’s start-up business climate in the latest issue of U.S. News & World Report.