BW INSIGHTS

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 11 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.24.2023

On Wednesday, the Senate approved a bill to limit the use of mobile devices while driving. Senate File 547 makes the use of mobile devices while driving a car illegal unless used in a hands-free or voice-activated mode. The bill passed the Senate by a 47-3 vote. The bill’s floor manager, Senator Mark Lofgren (R-Muscatine), said the bill will... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 10 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.17.2023

A bill proposed by Governor Kim Reynolds that seeks to streamline state government through reorganization was approved by the House on Wednesday and will head to the Governor’s desk for her signature. The bill, which is over 1,500 pages in total, seeks to cut the number of cabinet-level state agencies from 37 to 16 and would eliminate hundreds of... Read More

OSHA's New Plan for Workplace Safety in 2023

By Benjamin Merrill | 03.17.2023

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for employees across the United States. In January 2023, OSHA announced an aggressive new plan to address workplace safety, including several key initiatives aimed at reducing injuries and fatalities in the... Read More

Regulators Close Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank: Here's What You Need to Know

By John D. Hunter & Allison M. Lindner | 03.13.2023

Last weekend was a wild ride for the banking industry and depositors everywhere. Silicon Valley Bank experienced an old fashioned “run on the bank” that forced the FDIC to close it on mid-day Friday. Remember Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Over the weekend another bank, Signature Bank, was also closed by regulators. Both of these banks... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 9 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.10.2023

The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC), comprised of a three-member panel (Kraig Paulsen, David Underwood, and Jennifer Acton), met Friday (3/10/23) as part of its standard schedule of meetings to estimate future state revenues. The REC projects higher revenues for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 as compared to the December 2022 estimates (1.4%... Read More

Government Relations Update - 03-10-23

By BrownWinick | 03.10.2023

The Revenue Estimating Conference (“REC”), comprised of a three-member panel (Kraig Paulsen, David Underwood, and Jennifer Acton), met today (3/10/23) as part of its standard schedule of meetings to estimate future state revenues. A summary of the information discussed during the meeting is below, along with the attached spreadsheet distributed... Read More

Does Your Export Business Use an IC-DISC?

By Christopher Nuss | 03.07.2023

Authorized by Congress as an incentive to promote export sales, Interest-Charge Domestic Sales Corporations (“IC-DISCs”) function as a simple, inexpensive, and low-risk tax planning strategy. Basically, IC-DISCs provide significant permanent tax benefits and deferred tax savings opportunities for U.S. based export companies by in essence allowing... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 8 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.06.2023

This week saw a flurry of activity from lawmakers as they rushed to advance numerous bills in an effort to beat Friday’s first “funnel”. From Monday through Thursday, 237 bills were listed on Committee agendas, 132 subcommittees were held and the last Committee notice went out Friday morning at 12:34 a.m. for the House Judiciary to meet - with 16... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 7 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.27.2023

The week continued to ramp up as lawmakers prepare for next week’s funnel. This means that, with a few exceptions, by the end of next week, all bills must be voted out a subcommittee and their corresponding Senate or House committees. With an eye towards the quickly approaching funnel deadline, lawmakers packed this week with subcommittee and... Read More

No More Non-Competes? What Pending Laws May Mean for Employment in Iowa

By Danielle Smid | 02.23.2023

There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you’re currently subject to a non-compete provision. Non-compete provisions or agreements are notorious in that they have a complicated and long history within labor and employment law. For instance, in England circa 1414, an apprentice promised to refrain from practicing his trade for 6 months in... Read More