“Hold on to the Constitution of the United States of America and the republic for which it stands. What has happened once in six thousand years may never happen again. Hold on to your Constitution, for if the American Constitution shall fail there will be anarchy throughout the world.” -Daniel Webster “It is good to meet and drink […]
Foreword This summer COVID-19 continues to be an albatross on the economy. Although Iowa’s economy is open, social distancing policies remain. Iowa’s unemployment rate fell from 10 percent in May to 8 percent in June. Even with Iowa’s unemployment rate falling, fear of the virus is preventing people from resuming regular consumer activities. In addition, many small businesses are […]
These are just a few of the testimonials from Iowa students and parents who have benefitted from the opportunities provided by Iowa’s school choice policies. Too often the policy discussion over education centers around spending and for good reason. Public education consumes a majority of the state budget and is one of the driving costs of property tax bills. […]
Iowa relies heavily on income tax to fund state government. It is estimated, in Fiscal Year 2021, 57.3 percent of state revenues will be generated from income (individual and corporate) taxes, while 33.1 percent will originate from sales taxes. (Source: Legislative Services Agency) Since 1993, individual and corporate income taxes have a combined average of 64 percent […]
Recently TEF Iowa polled Iowans to get their view on some key public policy issues. In this guide you will find not only how Iowans think about these issues, but also public policy solutions that align with the interest of Iowans. TEF Iowa has developed this guide as a resource to provide legislative candidates additional information on some of the […]
As a new school year begins amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many Iowa parents are juggling working from home and facilitating their children’s online education. Schools across Iowa are offering a hybrid of in-class and online instruction. Many parents in Iowa have selected to have their children start school online for the fall semester as a result of the virus. A […]
Iowans are demanding property tax relief. High property taxes continue to be a problem for Iowa. The Tax Foundation recently examined the “effective tax rates on owner-occupied housing” across the United States. Iowa ranked 12th highest in the nation. Iowa relies heavily on property tax to fund local government. In 1934, Iowa enacted the sales and income tax to provide property tax relief. […]
As a new school year begins amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many Iowa parents are juggling working from home and facilitating their children’s online education. Schools across Iowa are offering a hybrid of in-class and online instruction. Many parents in Iowa have selected to have their children start school online for the fall semester as a result of the virus. A […]
“A dangerous virus lurks in our republican democracy,” wrote E.J. Dionne, Jr., a columnist with The Washington Post. What is the virus which is causing a substantial threat to our constitutional republic? Dionne argues that the cause is none other than the Electoral College. The Electoral College is one of the least-understood elements of the United States Constitution. For many […]
Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped from 8 percent in June to 6.6 percent in July. A year ago the unemployment rate was just 2.7 percent . The national unemployment rate for July stands at 10.2 percent. Iowa has the 7th lowest unemployment rate in the nation, and regionally only Nebraska (4.8 percent) and South Dakota (6.3 percent) have lower rates. Iowa’s […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Iowa’s rural hospitals. The Iowa Hospital Association has estimated, the “state’s 118 hospitals, collectively, could lose as much as $2.17 billion in revenue by the end of this year.” A significant reason for this potential loss is, during the start of the pandemic, hospitals were not providing elective surgeries and other procedures. “Most of the […]
Governor Kim Reynolds and the legislature have been working to control spending in Iowa. Prior to the COVID-19 emergency, Iowa was in a strong economic position with healthy and stable revenue growth. This included $800 million in reserves and a $400 million surplus. By March, all of this changed as the pandemic triggered an economic downturn and revenue uncertainty. In […]
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released the 13th edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index. Rich States, Poor States, measures the competitiveness of each state in terms of economic outlook and performance. In the latest rankings, Iowa has moved from 29th to 25th in terms of economic performance, but in terms of economic outlook, Iowa […]
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) represent the gold standard for school choice policy. The purpose of an ESA is to allow education tax dollars to follow the student rather than a specific designated school. An ESA provides parents with the flexibility to customize the best education for their children. This includes not only choosing which school their child attends, but also […]
Universities and colleges in Iowa as well as across the nation are preparing to welcome back students for the fall semester. In recent years higher education has been plagued with numerous problems. A major concern is growing dominance of radical ideologies both in and out of the classroom. In addition, the cost is accelerating, and many students are finishing their […]
A parent in Arizona argues, ESAs are serving the educational needs of her children. Jenny Clark, a mother of two children with learning disabilities has been able to provide her kids with the specialized resources they need for a successful future. She argues that “children are not mere funding units,” and thanks to ESAs, she has “realized that our children […]
This summer COVID-19 continues to be an albatross on the economy. Although Iowa’s economy is open, social distancing policies remain. Iowa’s unemployment rate fell from 10 percent in May to 8 percent in June. Even with Iowa’s unemployment rate falling, fear of the virus is preventing people from resuming regular activities. In addition, many small businesses are fighting to […]
Can you think of any area of your life that is not directly impacted by government? Government, whether at the federal, state, or local level, has grown considerably overtime. The escalating $26 trillion national debt is the most symbolic description of the growth of government. As more demands are placed on all levels of government, it creates a problem. As […]
This year, Indiana will once again lower its corporate income tax rate from 5.5 percent to 5.25 percent. Since 2012, Indiana has been gradually lowering the corporate tax rate from 8.5 percent, and the rate will continue to be lowered until it reaches 4.9 percent in 2022. Corporate tax rates vary greatly across the United States, from the highest tax […]
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having an impact on economic growth in Iowa. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by state from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020, which demonstrates some of the economic impact of COVID-19. During this time Iowa’s economy declined by -3.5 percent. Other than Nebraska and South […]
JONATHAN WILLIAMS, SKIP ESTES Most states close their books for fiscal year 2020 this week and continue to look at the uncertainty ahead. Every state but Vermont has some variety of a balanced budget requirement. Some are far more meaningful than others, but at least some thought goes into presenting a plan to balance revenue and expenditures. Moreover, states lack […]
At the heart of high property taxes is local government spending. County assessors are often blamed because people receive their property tax valuation bills in the mail and they immediately think that a valuation increase translates into a property tax increase. This is misplaced blame because it is the local government taxing authority that decides on how much taxes are […]
The Iowa legislature recently passed a major piece of legislation, COVID-19 liability reform. Iowa’s economy is reopening, and social distancing and other hygienic practices continue to slow the spread of the virus. As Iowans beginning to reengage with the economy and other public institutions there remains an element of risk of catching COVID-19. The objective of COVID-19 liability protection is […]
Crafting a state budget is never an easy process and this year was especially difficult with drafting a budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the COVID-19 emergency, Iowa was in a strong economic position with healthy and stable revenue growth. By March, all of this changed as the pandemic triggered an economic downturn and revenue uncertainty. In May, the […]
The ability for Iowans to earn a living and those who relocate to Iowa will be greatly improved due to the historic occupational licensing reform passed by the legislature. Governor Kim Reynolds, who made occupational licensing reform a priority in her Condition of the State address, is expected to sign the legislation. The reform will allow for universal recognition of […]