BW INSIGHTS

Government Relations Legislative Update - Week Two

Capitol Update The second week of session picked up speed following Monday’s caucus events. On Wednesday the first “floor work” for the session was conducted. Both the House and Senate passed resolutions, SR 102 and HR 102, to recognize the term “brain health” as a term that may be used synonymously with the terms mental health, mental illness and... Read More

December 13, 2023 REC Summary

The Revenue Estimating Conference (“REC”) comprised of a three-member panel (Kraig Paulsen, David Underwood, and Jennifer Acton) met Wednesday (12.13.23) as part of their standard schedule of meetings to estimate future state revenues. A summary of the information discussed during the meeting is below, along with the linked spreadsheet distributed... Read More

BrownWinick Included in 2024 Edition of Best Laws Firms Ranked by Best®

BrownWinick is excited to announce the firm has been included in the Best Law Firms Ranked by Best® 2024 publication. Firms included in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality... Read More

Sanctions Related to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

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

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week One Summary

The legislature convened for the 89th General Assembly Monday, welcoming 26 newly-elected lawmakers to the statehouse. With Republicans maintaining their majority in the Senate and expanding it in the House, the GOP will continue driving the state’s policy agenda for the next two years. In his opening remarks, House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New... Read More

2020 Legislative Session-Week 1

The first week of the 2020 Iowa legislative sessionstarted Monday with the swearing-in of a new House Republican leadership team. Rep. Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) was officially named Speaker of the House, while Rep. Matt Windschitl (R-Missouri Valley) was sworn in as Majority Leader. Grassley listed workforce-related issues as his top concerns,... Read More

2019 Legislative Session - Week 14

House and Senate Republicans have reached an agreement on the budget for next fiscal year (FY20). Under the joint plan, the state will spend $7.64 billion from the general fund. That’s a 0.2 percent increase from last year. Although lawmakers can legally spend 99 percent of ongoing revenues, the GOP proposal uses just north of 97 percent.... Read More

2019 Legislative Session - Week 13

House and Senate Republicans are continuing to hash-out next year’s budget (FY20), but have yet to agree on the final figures. Those so-called “joint budget targets” lay out how much both chambers are willing to spend on big-ticket appropriations, like education, economic development, and health and human services. In the absence of joint targets,... Read More

2019 Legislative Session - Week 12

Lawmakers raced bills through committee this week, scrambling to beat the second legislative “Funnel.” Most policy measures that didn’t pass out of the House or Senate, and a full committee in the opposite chamber by Friday are dead for the remainder of session. Tax, spending, government oversight, and leadership bills are largely exempt from this... Read More

2019 Legislative Session - Week 10

Governor Kim Reynolds has shifted her focus toward disaster relief following catastrophic floods across Iowa. Yesterday, she requested that President Donald Trump issue an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for 57 counties. That move would immediately free up federal recovery resources, including FEMA funding. So far, the floods... Read More