BW INSIGHTS

U.S. Supreme Court to Take on WOTUS Definition

By Ellen Hames | 03.07.2022

The U.S. Supreme Court recently announced that it will hear an appeal on a Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) case in the case of Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A decision from the Supreme Court will hopefully clarify the scope of WOTUS, which, though it is only a definitional gap, has far reaching impacts for what types of waters can be... Read More

What Changes are Coming to the Iowa Tax Landscape and When?

By Christopher Nuss | 03.04.2022

On March 1, 2022, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law House File 2317 (HF 2317), reshaping parts of the State’s tax regime, some of which the Governor touted in her response to President Biden’s State of the Union address later that day. The Governor’s statement on the tax reform bill (the Bill) can be found here. While most of the... Read More

2022 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 8 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.04.2022

The legislature shifted this week from subcommittee and committee work to floor debate. The next major deadline is only two weeks away - March 18, the second funnel. This is the deadline by which policy bills must advance out of both a Committee and the floor in the originating chamber and clear a Committee in the other Chamber. Many bills fail to... Read More

Sanctions Related to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

By BrownWinick | 03.04.2022

On February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladamir Putin recognized the independence and sovereignty of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). Russian military forces mobilized to the DPR and LPR. The same day, February 21, 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order... Read More

No Surprises Act: What Providers Need to Know

By Casey Alesch | 03.01.2022

The No Surprises Act, implemented at the beginning of 2022, aims to protect patients from receiving “surprise” medical bills when they receive 1) emergency healthcare services or 2) non-emergency healthcare services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. Of course, the terminology “out-of-network” and “in-network” refer to... Read More

2022 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 7 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.28.2022

Governor Kim Reynolds has been tapped to give the GOP response to President Biden’s State of the Union Address next week. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy announced the decision in a joint release Tuesday. “Governor Kim Reynolds’ brave, bold, and successful leadership for Iowans has put... Read More

2022 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 6 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.22.2022

The first funnel week has come and gone, with a total of 118 subcommittees held in just four days: 41 in the Senate and 77 in the House. The focus will now shift to floor debate as only a handful of bills have reached the full chamber for consideration. The next major funnel requires a bill be voted out of the first Chamber and move through... Read More

2022 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 5 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.14.2022

The first MAJOR deadline for the 2022 General Assembly is next Friday, February 18. That is the date by which “most” bills must be out of the Committee of origin. There are exceptions to this rule however for Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Leadership bills. Next week will be a hectic one at the Capitol with many bills yet to be filed,... Read More

2022 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 4 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.04.2022

Countdown to funnel week! The first funnel week is fast approaching - February 18 is the date by which bills must be moved out of the Committee of origin. Like almost every legislative rule there are exceptions. The speed of bills being released, and subcommittees scheduled will increase over the next several legislative days. However, activity... Read More

2022 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 3 Summary

By BrownWinick | 01.28.2022

Activity ramped up this week with over 120 subcommittee meetings at the Capitol. Although it seems like there are a lot of bills introduced so far this session, the 2022 session is down by about 400 bills in comparison to past sessions. Senate Republicans introduced the Senate’s version of a comprehensive tax reform proposal, SSB 3074. Over a... Read More