Small businesses want to expand Iowa’s middle class by attracting and retaining the best workers. Providing good health care benefits is one way to do that. Unfortunately, health care is the fastest-growing expense for small business owners. On average, small businesses pay 18 percent more than large businesses for the same coverage, and health insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages in the last 10 years. To ease this financial burden on our small businesses, the Senate passed Senate File 449 with bipartisan support.
2013 Legislative Session in Review: This year, we took a comprehensive approach to creating a state where more Iowans have access to good jobs, great communities, strong local schools and affordable health care.
Read the full story >>Final Comments on 2013 Session by Senate President Jochum: “We did it. We showed that Republicans and Democrats CAN work together to solve important problems.”
Read the full story >>Final Comments on 2013 Session by Senate Leader Gronstal: “Despite divided government, despite our differences, the result of this session will be a stronger Iowa economy, better Iowa schools, and a better quality of life for all Iowans.”
Read the full story >>One of Iowa DOT’s most popular publications, the Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists, is now online. The map will help you: • Plan your bike trip ahead of time. Enter your starting and ending points and a suggested route will be generated. • Discover Iowa’s bike lanes, trails and bicycle-friendly roads. • Locate bicycle amenities, [...]
Read the full story >>Create an Iowa adventure with the Iowa byways interactive website. It’s got all kinds of information on Iowa’s nationally recognized byways, including route descriptions and history, contact information, and listings of local events, attractions and travel services. You can plan, map and share your trip, save notes or even send an e-postcard. See what the [...]
Read the full story >>Healthy & Happy Outdoors—also known as H2O—is a new initiative to connect Iowans with the outdoors to reduce stress and improve health. Go to www.iowadnr.gov/h2o and find more than 30 types of outdoor activities at over 1,600 state and county parks and recreation areas. Each time you complete an outdoor activity, you can have your [...]
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