Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today welcomed the news that Southwest Airlines, along with its wholly-owned subsidy, AirTran Airways, confirmed today the intent to convert AirTran Airways operations at 22 domestic and international airports to Southwest operations over time.
Des Moines International Airport was one of the cities listed in their announcement.
Gov. Branstad and his administration have been in contact with Southwest Airlines executives since taking office last January, hoping to persuade them to bring their air service to Des Moines.
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According to Fox News,the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell further in the final week of 2011, a positive sign for hiring one day ahead of Friday’s December employment report.
The Labor Department says weekly applications dropped 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 last week. It was the fourth drop in five weeks. The four-week average, which smoothes fluctuations, declined to 373,250, the lowest level since June 2008.
When applications drop below 375,000 — consistently — they generally signal that hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate.
Applications have declined steadily over the past three months. The four-week average fell 11 percent in 2011, evidence that companies are laying off fewer workers. But many employers have been slow to add jobs.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/05/unemployment-claims-drop-to-372k-last-week/#ixzz1ibRP8NDi
The state’s tax credit incentive programs have begun to be scrutinized by the Legislative Tax Expenditure Committee. The Committee was created as a result of legislation passed in 2010 that created a ten-person joint committee of the Senate and the House. Three Democrats and two Republicans from the Senate joined Three Republicans and two Democrats from the House to examine tax credits within the tax code. Specifically, the legislation called for a regular review of all tax credit, withholding credit, and revenue division programs in order to facilitate the reauthorization of successful programs and to do so at a cost that can be accommodated by the state’s annual budget.
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The Iowa Department of Economic Development along with the United States Treasury announced that Iowa’s application for funds through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) has been approved. This will allow Iowa to access up to $13.2 million in order to help small businesses get started and to expand.
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Posted below is the analysis of the omnibus budget bill proposed by House Republicans. The current schedule for the bill is to have it go through committee on Monday June 6 and then be debated on the floor on Tuesday June 7.
Omnibus Bill for FY 2012–
Agriculture, Budget, Commerce, Economic Growth, Education, Environmental Protection, Human Resources, Judiciary, Labor, Natural Resources, Rebuild Iowa, State Government, Transportation | JillJ | June 2, 2011 | 
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Representative Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) was recently named as an ex officio member of the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board. Grassley, who is chairman of the House Economic Growth / Rebuild Iowa Committee will join Representative Roger Thomas (D-Elkader), Senator Tom Courtney (D-Burlington), and Senator Hubert Houser (R-Carson), as the legislative ex officio members on the Board.
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House Republicans unveiled their plan for budget savings, the Taxpayers First Act.
To view full bill and staff analysis view links below:
Taxpayers First Act
Staff Analysis
“House Republicans campaigned on giving Iowans a seat at the table. This bill does just that,” said House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer (R-Garner).
The Taxpayers First Act will create a Taxpayer Relief Fund which will capture any budget surplus and direct it back to the taxpayer.
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House Republican committee assignments are now assembled for 2011. Click the links below to view lists in PDF.
Assignments by Member
Assignments by Committee
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Agriculture, Commerce, Economic Growth, Education, Environmental Protection, Human Resources, Judiciary, Labor, Local Government, Natural Resources, Public Safety, State Government, Transportation, Veterans Affairs | JillJ | November 29, 2010 | Comments (0)
The Iowa Department of Workforce Development’s latest report on the status of unemployment in Iowa hasn’t improved. Iowa’s unemployment rate for September 2010 held steady for the third month in a row at 6.8%. According to the department, there are approximately 113,300 Iowans without a job.
From August to September, nonfarm employment in Iowa lost a net total of 4,800 jobs. The sectors of the economy that experienced the biggest hits were government, trade/transportation and business services. If there is anything positive to take away from the latest report, it is that Iowa’s manufacturing sector showed a slight increase adding 600 jobs in the last month.
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Speaker-Elect Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) today announced a second round of committee chairs for the 84th General Assembly. This group of committees will be tasked with putting the nearly 114,000 Iowans who are out of a job back to work.
Continue reading for the list of appointments…
