Tag Archive | "states"
Study: Wisconsin among worst in debt in 2010
October 24, 2011
By M.D. Kittle | Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON — Here’s the bill for the Badger State taxpayer — $2,144.
At least that was Wisconsin’s debt load per capita as of fiscal 2010, according to a new report that ranks the state near the bottom in outstanding debt.
Wall Street protests, Medicaid battles top week’s political bill
October 07, 2011
By Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON — Anti-Wall Street rallies “occupy” Madison, mending Medicaid comes with passion and pain, and the president’s jobs bill could cost Wisconsin plenty, experts say.
It was all part of another wild week in Wisconsin politics.
Reports give conflicting views of Iowa’s economy
June 20, 2011
By Lynn Campbell | IowaPolitics.com
The ALEC report gave Iowa high marks and a No. 1 ranking for its $7.25 state minimum wage and its being a right-to-work state, giving workers the choice to join a union. However, Iowa received low marks — and a rank of 50 or dead last among states — for levying an estate/inheritance tax. The report also ranked Iowa 46th for its corporate income tax rate.
Gov. Terry Branstad, who participated Monday in the U.S. Chamber’s bipartisan governors summit in Washington, D.C., talked more about how Iowa needs to improve rather than on what it’s doing right. Branstad, a Republican who served as Iowa’s governor from 1983 to 1999, resumed office in January after 12 years of Iowa having a Democratic governor.
“The biggest concerns I’ve heard from business have to do with the regulatory and tax burdens that make it difficult to start a business or to expand and grow in Iowa,” Branstad said. “One of the first things I did was require a jobs impact statement on all new regulations. … We’re going to review all of our rules and regulations. We’re going to sunset them all and do a cost-benefit analysis on all governmental regulations.”
Branstad also said Iowa’s commercial and industrial property tax is “way out of whack” compared with other classes of property. He touted his proposal to make the tax more competitive by lowering it 40 percent over five to eight years.
Iowa’s governor found a receptive audience at the event by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes. The group has been a key backer of Republican candidates and spent $31.2 million in the 2010 election cycle, according to a January report by Public Citizen, a nonpartisan nonprofit aimed at being the people’s voice in Washington, D.C.
David Greenspon, president and owner of Competitive Edge Inc. in Urbandale, an advertising specialty manufacturing company that employs about 130 people, gave a business owner’s perspective on Iowa’s business climate at Monday’s U.S. Chamber event.
“As I got into Iowa, I decided I wanted to be in business there, and it was a very favorable environment because people would give you a chance,” Greenspon said Monday. “I didn’t have to have $100 million and I didn’t have to have a state development person call me up and say, ‘How about coming to Iowa?’ I was already there.”
Greenspon said that 28 years later, Competitive Edge is a sizable business in its field. But he said the advertising specialty manufacturing industry is 25 percent smaller than three years ago because of the economy.
“I’m blessed that we’ve always been profitable. We still are and we’ve had three years of bad weather and we haven’t let anybody go,” Greenspon said. “But we haven’t given raises. We don’t match 401(k)s anymore. We look at health care and look at the expense — $500 (a month) for a family — and you freak out.”
Greenspon is a key Republican supporter who has rented office space to numerous GOP candidates, including Branstad. He made news in September when he grilled President Barack Obama about the business climate during a backyard discussion in Des Moines.
“In the beginning, there (were) no regulatory problems,” Greenspon said. “The government didn’t ask me to inspect every shipment, didn’t ask me for all these certificates of safety and material use. It was a lot simpler.”
Ironically, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s report highlights former Democratic Gov. Chet Culver’s three-year, $830 million bonding for infrastructure program funded with existing state gambling revenue to help Iowa recover from the 2008 natural disasters and preserve or create thousands of jobs.
Branstad and legislative Republicans have repeatedly criticized the I-JOBS program, saying that bonding will cause the state to go further in debt. Under the Branstad administration, the state plans to fulfill its commitments with that program, but has also made an effort to remove I-JOBS signs across the state and does not plan to continue the program in the future.
http://issuu.com/uschamber/docs/final-report-enterprising-states-email?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true
See the American Legislative Exchange Council report:
http://www.alec.org/am/pdf/tax/10rsps/rsps10-ia.pdf
Some in Iowa fear increased risk of underage gambling
April 27, 2011
By Lynn Campbell IowaPolitics.com
DES MOINES — The House State Government Committee on Wednesday approved a gambling bill on a 20-3 vote, despite some concerns that allowing Iowans to bet on live horse races online or by telephone will increase the risk for underage gambling.
Wednesday’s vote clears the way for House floor debate and final legislative approval of the gambling bill next week.
The portion of the bill that drew the most discussion would permit Iowa gamblers to make advance deposits to place online or telephone bets on live horse races as it’s done in 20 other states.
“Right now, people are able to bet and wager on races at Prairie Meadows outside of the state of Iowa but they’re not able to do it in the state of Iowa,” said Rep. Peter Cownie, R-West Des Moines. “This codifies that as well as being able to collect on the wagers that are taken from outside of the state.”
Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, said she fears the change will open the door to underage gambling despite the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission establishing guidelines for advanced deposit wagering. Individuals must be 21 to gamble in Iowa.
“The concern is that we will now be allowing people to place bets, either in person, by phone or electronic device which means computers,” Mascher said. “How do you anticipate them controlling that in homes where minors may be able to get passwords and get into accounts, and in essence, gamble from home?”
Cownie, the bill’s floor manager, said he’s hopeful there will be safeguards and that Iowa’s system will be modeled after those in other states. However, he said he also shares similar concerns about underage gambling.
Mascher said she didn’t know how those concerns would be addressed adequately.
“If somebody goes to a track and they’re placing a bet, you know that they’re of age,” she said. “When you start allowing it to be done outside of the place where you’re betting, then you’re opening yourself up to problems and that’s a concern. I think this is an expansion of gambling as a result of this section alone and that concerns me a great deal.”
Rep. Stewart Iverson, R-Clarion, said Mascher’s concerns are shared by all lawmakers. But he disagreed that the bill expands gambling.
“I know this is not an expansion of gambling because Representative Raecker agreed with it,” Iverson said somewhat jokingly. Raecker has been an opponent of gambling.
Senate File 526 calls for two state reports on Internet poker. Iverson said it’s in every Iowan’s best interest to find out how big Internet gambling is in the state. He said he believes it’s especially prevalent on college campuses.
“It’s something we do need to get a handle on, but it’s kind of tough to get a handle on when we don’t actually know what’s going on out there,” Iverson said. “I think that report would be helpful.”
Also under the bill, casinos that have successfully passed two referendums would no longer be subject to an automatic county referendum every eight years on its gambling license. However, voters could petition for a referendum if they gather signatures of at least 10 percent of the voters from the previous general election.
In addition, the bill only allows for quarter horse and thoroughbred live racing at Iowa racetracks. Standardbred racing would be conducted at county fairs. The move would save Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona $1.5 million to $2 million on its yearly racing costs, since it wouldn’t have to handle standardbred racing.
Iverson said this is the first time in two decades that he’s ever seen representatives from the different breeds of horses come to agreement on this issue.
“I think that’s historic all by itself,” he said. “The horse breeders of Iowa are all going to be better served by this bill.”
Wednesday’s action on the gambling bill came as the Iowa Capitol started to empty out.
Friday is the projected last day of the 2011 legislative session, and even if adjournment is nowhere in sight, Thursday is the last day that House and Senate clerks get paid. That means most of them will no longer be at the Capitol.
House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, told lawmakers that there will be no more House floor debate this week, so many lawmakers have gone home for the week.
Lawmakers’ daily expense allowance, or “per diem” for the legislative session, ends this week. That’s $100.50 a day for Polk County lawmakers and $134 a day for all other lawmakers.
Smartphone App
- Tax climate barely changes for Kansas businesses in 2011
- Week in Review: Recall petitions spell headache for GAB
- Week in Review: Court throws PA primary process into chaos
- Governor: Scrap decades-old system of school funding, focus instead on results
- PA Supreme Court: Too many county and municipal splits in redistricting plan
- Tax credit expiration could slow wind’s rise in IL; exports strong
- Wisconsin Reporter review finds missing recall petitions
- Drivers: Red-light cameras better than paying higher taxes
- Leaving behind NCLB: WI works toward waiver
- IL seeks to add 100K people to Medicaid program
- House moves to repeal sprinkler mandate for PA homes
- Pa. Gov. Corbett wants to roll back pay increase for unionized state employees
- Pennsylvania Castle Doctrine passes state House, again
- Rasmussen: Raese 50 Percent, Manchin 43 Percent
- U.S. jobs plunged to decade low in first quarter
- Pennsylvania still only state without natural gas severance tax
- Chamber of Commerce confers on public pensions
- Pelosi, Obama Hawaiian vacations end; taxpayers left with bill
- Pa. liquor stores face no scrutiny from State Police
- Senator seeks hearings on Hawaii, Alaska Native American Contracting preferences
- Philip: @Amy, If they are a working family just living fro...
- Neil Sagan: Right to work (for less) does not create jobs. It...
- Bob Johnson: I am totally against the union busting tactics of ...
- amy: there are so many working families who truly need ...
- tree trimming costs: I ought to say, as a lot as I loved examining what...