DSM USA Policy HQ - 2022 Legislative Session Recap

The DSM USA Policy HQ podcast is a monthly conversation between experts on public policy topics impacting business and the relationship between government and the private sector.  

In this installment of the DSM USA Policy HQ, Dustin Miller, Attorney at Nyemaster Goode, P.C., and Casey Nickel, Legislative Coordinator at Nyemaster Goode, P.C., recapped the 2022 Legislative Session. Both Miller and Nickel are also part of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s lobbying team and heavily involved in the day-to-day at the Iowa State Capitol. 

2022 Priorities 

The feel of the 2022 legislative session, which adjourned Wednesday, May 24, was a series of ebbs and flows, according to Miller. He said every session is different, but this year, tax reform was a major priority and ensuring that tax legislation included personal and corporate policies to help grow talent and support economic development efforts was an important consideration. In four years, Iowa will go to a low rate, simplified tax system. Iowa doesn’t have beaches and mountains, so attracting a workforce requires more creative than in other cities to make Iowa a place people want to work and live. 

Miller said that reengaging these water features in the many cities located near water and creating a way to recruit and retain businesspeople through water-focused initiatives will have a positive impact on the future of Greater Des Moines (DSM). Nickel suggested Iowa should focus on why people are moving away from the state and identify what makes people want to live here in order to keep them here. Many like living in Iowa due to its affordability and economic mobility. Not to mention ‘Iowa Nice’ is a real thing, and the small-town feel here is something that can’t be easily replicated. 

Widely discussed topics include the Greater Des Moines Partnership and Iowa Chamber Alliance focuses on funding for child care, housing and broadband. Nickel also highlighted the expansion of work-based learning and matching recent grads with local businesses in order to place them in a field where they feel like they are ahead of their peers in the job market. This will help talent attraction and retention. Iowa doesn’t have a lot of big cities, but schools are near entrepreneurial businesses making it easy for students to work and go to school simultaneously and become more integrated into their community, maintaining that connection and, ultimately, growing in their field right here in Iowa.   

For Partnership Members, creating a welcoming environment is also an important part of recruiting and retaining workers. Miller said that Iowa has a long history of being a welcoming place and The Partnership has been a leader in working on these issues. The Legislature didn’t pass any specific placemaking initiatives this year, but Nickel said that the Governor introduced the Destination Iowa program with the America Rescue Plan funding that will have an effect in the future. 

Listen to the entire podcast above. 

The DSM USA Policy Headquarters podcast focuses on public policy topics impacting business and the relationship between government and the private sector. Join us each month to hear from local Greater Des Moines (DSM) experts. To listen to more Partnership podcasts, click here.