Revenue Estimating Conference Summary - May 29, 2020

By Matthew McKinney | 06.04.2020

The REC (a three member panel comprised of Dave Roederer, Holly Lyons, and David Underwood) met yesterday afternoon (5/29/20) at the request of legislative leadership and Governor Reynolds to reconsider the REC’s March 2020 revenue estimate given the impact of COVID-19 on state revenues. A short summary of the information discussed during the... Read More

Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act

By Amy Johnson | 05.28.2020

The House passed a bill this afternoon that would provide businesses with greater flexibility with regard to their uses of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. The legislation -- titled the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act -- was introduced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota. It is... Read More

Returning Employees to the Workplace? We’ve Got You Covered.

By BrownWinick | 05.28.2020

BrownWinick's Employment Practice Group has prepared a “Return to Work Playbook” to assist employers in returning employees to the workplace during this unusual and unprecedented time. The people contributing to this effort include Megan Moritz and Danielle Smid. The “Return to Work Playbook” (or Playbook) will be used as a tool with attorney... Read More

Guidance Regarding PPP Forgiveness

By Amy Johnson | 05.18.2020

On Friday, the SBA released much-anticipated guidance regarding the forgiveness component of Paycheck Protection Program loans: SBA and Treasury Release Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application The guidance includes the forgiveness worksheet that borrowers will be required to fill out as well as information on the types of... Read More

Dental Services to Resume in Iowa on May 8th

By BrownWinick | 05.07.2020

On May 6th, Governor Reynolds issued a new proclamation allowing Iowa dentists to resume providing services as of 5:00 a.m. on May 8th, if certain requirements are met. Those requirements are: Dental services are provided in compliance with the Iowa Dental Board Guidelines for the Safe Transition Back to Practice approved and adopted by the Iowa... Read More

Iowa Tax Update for COVID-19

By BrownWinick | 05.07.2020

Filing and Tax Payment Extensions to July 31, 2020 and Possibly January 31, 2021 The Iowa Department of Revenue has extended the tax return filing and payment deadline to July 31, 2020 for certain individual, composite (nonresident partners), partnership, corporate, S corporation, fiduciary (not including Iowa Form 706 Inheritance Tax returns),... Read More

PPP Update: How much of your loan will be forgiven, and when you need to start paying off the 1% interest, 2-year loan.

By BrownWinick | 05.07.2020

It’s been a few weeks since the Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) was passed into law and businesses have been approved (and hopefully have received) loans from the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). Recipients of the loans are eligible to receive full forgiveness for their loans if at least 75% of the loan proceeds are used for payroll... Read More

Training During Downtime – Ways to Connect, Engage, and Develop Your Workforce

By BrownWinick | 05.06.2020

With decreased business, employers have some supervisors and employees with extra time. This would be an excellent time to catch supervisors and employees up on important workplace training. While training sessions are usually conducted in person, all meetings – personal and professional – are now being handled virtually. One of the key issues... Read More

DSM Small Business Recovery Grant Application Opens, Accepted through May 20

By BrownWinick | 05.06.2020

In an effort to assist businesses facing hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Des Moines Partnership announced grant awards for businesses with physical locations within the cities of Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk, Urbandale, West Des Moines, and Windsor Heights. Eligible businesses include for-profit... Read More

E-Verify COVID-19 Accommodation: New Temporary Rule for I-9 Compliance

By BrownWinick | 05.02.2020

On May 1, 2020, the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that expiring list B documents used for the purpose of validating an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States may be treated as if the employee provided a valid receipt for the document for I-9 purposes. DHS reasoned that, “Because many areas are under... Read More