Weekly Newsletter – March 5, 2009

GROW: Ideas to help Iowa move forward

Last week at the Capitol, nine new legislators, including myself, introduced a bold new agenda to help grow Iowa’s economy and help get 80,000 unemployed Iowan’s back to work.  The G.R.O.W. (Generating Recovery and Opportunity for Working Iowans) plan uses a variety of methods such as tax credits, incentives, and constitutional protections to lift Iowa’s slumping economy.  I am pleased to be part of the positive and forward-looking plan. 

There are eight components to the plan, each of which is designed to encourage businesses to locate or expand in Iowa.  The cornerstone of this agenda is a constitutional amendment to protect Iowa’s Right-to-Work law, a key factor when businesses look to expand in Iowa.  Our Right-to-Work law has been under attack in recent years, and we need to make sure it remains in place for future generations.  Our plan also proposes several items to make Iowa’s tax climate more favorable, including an expanded research activities tax credit, social security tax deductions, telecommuting tax credits and perhaps most importantly, a property tax freeze.  In these tough economic times we must look for ways to jumpstart our Iowa economy.  

The G.R.O.W. plan is built on the belief that private individuals and businesses are the only engine which can bring us out of tough economic times.  We reject the notion which claims government spending is the solution.  We must remember government dollars are our dollars - when government spends more, it is taking more of our paycheck.  Our success as a country and as Iowans was built on the hard work of individuals coupled with the ingenuity and productivity of the private sector.  We must do all we can to encourage an original type of economic activity.

I am excited to work with my colleagues in the House to gather support for this plan.  For two months of this legislative session, we have seen far too many bills which hurt the taxpayers, and yet have done little work to balance the budget or get Iowa on the road to economic recovery.  With only two months of scheduled work time remaining, I am hopeful we can unite support for this proactive agenda and move Iowa forward.

If you would like a copy of the proposal, please visit my website at www.ChrisHagenow.com.

Chris Hagenow

State Representative, House District 59

(515) 281-3221

chris.hagenow@legis.state.ia.us