Pat Grassley
COMMITTEES
Agriculture, Chair
Commerce
Economic Growth
Ways and Means
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Fiftieth District
Statehouse: (515) 281-3221
e-mail – [email protected]
HOME ADDRESS
30601 Deer Trail Dr.
New Hartford, Iowa 50660
Home: (319) 983-9019
House of Representatives
State of Iowa
Eighty-Sixth General Assembly
STATEHOUSE
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Economic Growth Committee Set to Consider Governor’s Agenda
Iowa is ranked second nationally in the available supply of biomass, and a new bill under consideration
in the House Economic Growth Committee could allow companies to take advantage of that
position. Facilities around the state produce food and fuel products from corn, soybeans and other
crops. Those production processes also create byproducts that can form the foundations for plastics,
textiles, paints, or pharmaceuticals.
The committee bill, which was originally proposed by Governor Branstad’s Iowa Economic Development
Authority, would provide a $0.05 per pound tax credit for companies that produce the certain “building
block” chemicals that can be used for various end products. The refundable credit would be capped at
$1 million for a new company and $500,000 for an established one. The bill could unlock new
opportunities for entrepreneurship and research. The state’s renewable fuels industry will gain new
markets for its lower-value products.
We are also set to consider a reform in Iowa’s “Angel Credits” program. A new bill would rescale the
credits for individual investors rather than larger institutional investors, and the credits would become
refundable. It would also make the eligibility simpler and align it better with existing programs.
Iowa’s neighboring states have similar programs that are much more generous. They include higher
funding levels, bigger caps, and refundable credits.
Governor Unveils Broadband Proposal
Governor Terry Branstad’s newest proposal to expand high-speed Internet access resembles last year’s
proposal, but it has important differences. The new bill attempts to incentivize broadband expansion in
areas of Iowa where Internet speeds are below 25 megabits per second of download speed and three
megabits per second of upload speed.
Under the bill, an Internet provider could apply to the state’s chief information officer for a grant and a
three-year property tax exemption for their new investments in underserved areas of Iowa. It also
would require local governments to either approve or deny applications for broadband infrastructure
within 60 days of their submission.
Unlike last year’s proposal, this year’s “Connect Every Acre” proposal does not include a process for
private companies to lease bandwidth from the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). It also does not
include provisions governing the siting of cellular towers, another contentious issue from last year.
The bill will be considered by the House Commerce committee, of which I am a member. Tuesday’s
meeting featured representatives from Mediacom, Century Link and a small Iowa communications
company. A subcommittee of three Republicans-- Representatives Peter Cownie, Tom Sands and Chuck
Soderberg--and two Democrats will closely consider the bill this week as they gather further input from
stakeholders and the public.
CONTINUE TO KEEP IN TOUCH
In addition to my Listening Posts, I have produced this newsletter called “The Grassley Bulletin” to keep
you informed of the issues going on at the Capitol. The Bulletin is distributed to local newspapers and
interested constituents. I encourage you to contact me at any time throughout the year with any issues
or concerns. Whether I am down in Des Moines or on the farm in New Hartford, remember that I work
for you. Without your input, I cannot properly represent your views. I look forward to hearing from you
this legislative session, and I am excited to continue my work for the people of House District 50.