The Iowa Grocery Industry Association would like to take a minute and thank the over 200 members who attended Grocers Care Day this past Tuesday. For those who were not able to attend, IGIA members were briefed on the present legislative climate, the upcoming 2010 election and key issues facing the industry this year in the Iowa Legislature. Attendees were also addressed during lunch at Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines ...

Then don’t plan on complaining if the following become laws this year, because $30 and one day out of the store is going to save you thousands of dollars! All of these bills have passed out of committee and are still eligible in the legislative process. You can make a difference February 23! The registration deadline has been extended through this Friday, February 19!...

Things are really picking up at the Iowa State Capitol, and some issues that have seen in the past, some that are new and some with a new “spin” are the major focus of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association this week. The first funnel date (when most bills have to pass one committee in either the House or Senate, except Appropriations, Ways and Means or Leadership bills) is this Friday, February 12....

Despite claims that the 2010 Iowa Legislative Session would be all about the budget and not much else, the reality is shaping up to be just the opposite. Over 650 bills were filed in the first three weeks and Governor Chet Culver just released his budget Wednesday....

With the plethora of health mandate bills that have been introduced so far this session, this is a question both the Iowa Legislature and the Iowa Grocery Industry Association will need to grapple with this year. Before the session began, many observers thought we would see a major health care bill pass out of Congress soon...

Now, those that know Scott know him as a carefully spoken attorney, with a wry sense of humor, might not expect him to utter such a phrase. However, during this morning’s Legislative Update Conference Call (by the way, if you want to get on the calls, see the instructions below for getting on the call), I burst out laughing, knowing the cynicism in his voice....

It won’t be long before Governor Chet Culver addresses the people of Iowa with the annual Condition of the State speech in the middle of January, which will officially launch the 2010 Legislative Session in to motion....

In an effort to plan for the 2010 Iowa Legislative Session, the Iowa Grocery Industry Association Legislative Committee would like IGIA member input on issues that may come before the 2010 Iowa Legislature....

The first session of the 83rd Iowa General Assembly convened on January 12, 2009 (the Iowa Constitution requires the legislature to convene on the second Monday of January of each year). The legislature adjourned sine die just before 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2009 (105 days). In 2009, we monitored the following legislative activity for the Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA):...

Remember our message the whole legislative session: In these tough times, the last thing the Iowa legislature needs to do is raise the costs for Iowa businesses. That cost will ultimately be passed on to the customers. No taxes, no additional fees and no unfunded mandates....

Remember our message the whole legislative session: In these tough times, the last thing the Iowa legislature needs to do is raise the costs for Iowa businesses. That cost will ultimately be passed on to the customers. No taxes, no additional fees and no unfunded mandates. ...

The Iowa Department of Human Services’ budget is slated to come out this weekend and be debated on in the DHS Appropriations Subcommittee possibly as soon as Monday. The IGIA believes that the draft will contain language asking for the removal of the EBT seven-cent reimbursement fee for retailers that use their own POS equipment....

Yesterday, the Iowa Department of Human Services Appropriation Subcommittee met and approved the worksheet for the budget that will now be put in bill draft form. The worksheet did not include an appropriation for the EBT seven-cent reimbursement fee. So, the bill will be drafted with the reimbursement fee missing....

Even though the “official” second funnel date is April 10 on the legislative calendar, democratic legislative leaders have been signaling for the past couple of weeks that March 27 would be the “unofficial” second funnel date. The second funnel is a process the legislature uses to winnow the number of bills for consideration to complete the session....

Next Friday, March 13, is the first funnel for the Iowa Legislature, which is when a bill must pass out of a committee to stay in consideration for the 2009 session. Exceptions to this rule are any appropriations, ways and means or leadership bills, which can be introduced at any time. ...

Democratic leadership in both houses are laying the ground work for an early departure for the 2009 Legislative Session. They have made it known that they would like to end the session 10 days early, meaning the session would end around April 15 instead of the May 1 scheduled end....

This is the headline “ripped” from the Des Moines Register on Saturday morning, as the first of four “labor” bills was debated in the Iowa House. Normally, the leadership of the majority party in control (now the Democrats) does not bring up a bill for a vote unless they know it will pass, as it is viewed as counter productive politically to bring up bills for votes you know will lose....

Normally, the budget is released by the Governor very shortly after his State of the State address the second day of the session. However, this year, Governor Chet Culver chose to hold off releasing it until this past Wednesday. The Governor unveiled a total of $580 million in budget cuts that are being called for in the 2010 budget fiscal year recommendations....

The Iowa Legislature gaveled into session on January 12, opening the 2009 Legislative Session. The IGIA will supply weekly Legislative Updates every week, beginning this week. And, although the legislature has been in session for two weeks, it is definitely a “different feel” for IGIA members (and others) in comparison to last year....

Elections have consequences in the following legislative session. Fortunately for the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, it got off to a good start when a vast majority of the candidates it supported in the 2008 Iowa Election won their races back in November....

In an effort to plan for the 2009 Iowa Legislative Session, the Iowa Grocery Industry Association Legislative Committee would like IGIA member input on issues that may come before the 2009 Iowa Legislature. With this in mind, the IGIA has formulated an online survey for its members to rate the importance level of certain issues that are prone to come up every year....

The second session of the 82nd Iowa General Assembly convened on January 14, 2008 (the Iowa Constitution requires the legislature to convene on the second Monday of January of each year, thus, this session began the latest date possible). The legislature adjourned sine die just after 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2008, 104 days....

It has been incorporated into the “Standings Bill” (every legislator knows which bill that is), as it’s often referred to the last bill passed each year in the legislature....

We are getting down to the last days of the session (the per diem for legislators runs out Tuesday April 22, so they will not stick around too long after then), and most of the activity is on budget bills, and a few priorities of the Senate and House Democratic leadership, which so far has not “targeted” the grocery and c-store industry....

After last week’s second funnel deadline, both the House and the Senate have spent the majority of the time this past week in floor debate, mostly on “non-confrontational” bills....

Today is the Iowa Legislature’s self-imposed second “funnel.” All bills to be considered must have passed either the House or the Senate, and passed out of a committee of one of the Houses that the bill did not originate in. With a few exceptions, the second funnel deadline does not apply to Appropriations Bills, Ways & Means Bills and Government Oversight bills....

Next Friday, March 28, is the Iowa Legislature’s self-imposed second “funnel.” All bills to be considered must have passed either the House or the Senate, and passed out of a committee of one of the Houses that the bill did not originate in....

Today, March 8, is the Iowa Legislature’s self-imposed first “funnel.” All bills to be considered must have passed out of a committee in either the House or the Senate. With a few exceptions, the first funnel deadline does not apply to Appropriations Bills, Ways & Means Bills and Government Oversight bills....

Although this Update is shorter than previous ones this year, it’s not because there is no action! We will fill you in on what’s happened that’s new this week, and not “rehash” old issues, although we are still watching carefully for them....

Yes, that’s right! Over 350 from the Iowa Grocery Industry Association crammed into the ballroom at the Quality Inn & Suites to hear Gov. Chet Culver address the industry on his plan for an expanded bottle bill....

Yes, that’s right. Despite some media reports that Gov. Culver is backing down and willing to “compromise” on the bottle bill, he has shifted from “the mother of all bottle bills” to the “grandmother of all bottle bills.”...

It’s not often when an industry can have front page articles, back to back editorials against your industry, and survive, but that’s just what IGIA has done this past week....

Governor Culver, in his “Condition of the State” Address on Tuesday, as expected, called for a bottle bill expansion and tax, eliminating the reimbursement of EBT fees, and will push for passage on several pro-labor, anti-business measures....

Today marks the beginning of the 2008 Iowa Legislature. Both the House and Senate gavel in today. On Tuesday, Governor Chet Culver will give his first “Condition of the State” address to a joint session of the legislature....

Despite a heavy push by the Department of Inspections and Appeals and county health inspectors, coupled with an editorial by the Des Moines Register, a doubling of food license fees was averted in the last days of the 2007 Iowa Legislative session....

Rep. Pam Jochum (D) and Rep. Scott Raecker (R), have introduced H-2025 to SF 601, that will DOUBLE your food license fees! The Department of Inspections & Appeals and county inspectors have lobbied hard for a doubling of the fees....

After all the attention drawn from the Des Moines Register and Department of Inspections & Appeals (DIA) Director Dean Lerner last week, the Iowa Senate included a 35% increase in food license fees in SF 601, The Standings Bill....

The Food and Licensing Bill (HF 872) has been bottled up in the House Ways & Means Committee, and the Department of Inspections & Appeals (DIA) did not have the votes to get this out of committee....

The Food and Licensing Bill looks like it has reached an impasse in negotiations between the Department of Inspections & Appeals and IGIA....

Last Friday, April 6, was the second funnel date for this year’s Legislature. By then, all bills must have had to pass either the Senate or the House, and passed out of a committee in the other legislative body to be eligible to be considered this year....

Friday, April 6 is the second funnel date for this year’s Legislature. By then, all bills must have passed either the Senate or the House, and passed out of a committee in the other legislative body to be eligible to be considered this year....

Today marks the end of the 11th week of the Iowa Legislature’s session. This is the point in time when legislators, lobbyists, (and often times, the public!) are getting weary of the daily grind of the session....

The House passed the $1 per pack cigarette tax in the early morning hours Wednesday this week, and Governor Culver signed the bill into law on Thursday morning....

Governor Culver this morning signed the $1 per pack cigarette tax increase into law....

The House passed $1 cigarette tax 58-40....

$1 cigarette tax to be voted on in the House this afternoon....

Today is the date for the first “funnel” date, when any bill that has not passed out of a committee in either the House or the Senate becomes ineligible for consideration the rest of the 2007 session, and cannot be considered until 2008....

An expected vote in the Iowa House this week on a $1 a pack increase (HF 555) on the cigarette tax never materialized, as rumor is running through the Capitol that the House Democrats do not have 51 votes to push it through....

New Democratic Governor Chet Culver has heavily emphasized a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax in his budget this year....

Heat is on for a $1 per pack tobacco tax proposed by Culver....

Join your fellow retailers for IGIA’s annual Legislative Grocer’s Care Day on Feb. 13....

Make a difference – Attend IGIA’s Legislative Day!...

As promised, the new Democratic majority passed HF 1, the minimum wage bill this week in both the House and the Senate, and was the first bill signed by Gov. Culver on Thursday....

As promised, minimum wage bills were the first bills introduced by the new Democratic majority (SF 1 and HF 1)....

The Iowa General Assembly gaveled into session Jan. 8. The first week was dominated by speeches by new legislative leaders. Governor Vilsack gave his last State of the State address, the new Chief Justice gave her address, and most legislative committees spent time in their initial meetings with procedural organizational matters....