Rural Iowa needs better broadband access, but that alone won t lead to a revival Robert G. Riley Jr., Iowa View contributor
Kim Reynolds continues commitment to investing in rural communities
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Which comes first, the chicken or the broadband?
Nowadays, people determine where they want to live, and then go look for a job there. Iowa, especially, has made its rural landscape almost unlivable for outsiders economically, culturally, environmentally, politically, racially, socially. We need a much broader view than just broadband to re-populate rural Iowa with productive residents. Our governor wants to spend $450 million over three years to bring broadband to all Iowans. I applaud this initiative, as one key ingredient to economic revitalization, but it’s not the whole loaf.
Nicole Welle | October 29, 2020
Governor Kim Reynolds plans to revive her stalled Invest in Iowa plan during the legislative session next year, but experts warn that tax money going towards voluntary farm-based projects to improve Iowa’s water quality is not enough to make a difference.
Gov. Reynolds introduced the Invest in Iowa plan as a way to improve Iowa’s business climate and boost the state’s image. The plan would raise Iowa’s sales tax to fill the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, lower income taxes, provide mental health funding and improve water quality, according to an article in The Gazette.
Corbin: New laws not in the best interest of Iowans globegazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from globegazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Looking Back, With Gratitude, on a Year of Challenges and Triumphs for Trails
Photo by India Kea
As 2020 draws to a close a year of extreme changes and challenges it is with incredible appreciation that we reflect on the collective impact of our movement across the country.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our lives dramatically, it has also made clear just how vital trails are to people and places serving as important space for health and wellness and providing safe outdoor access for millions of people.
This remarkable impact would not have been possible without the time, dedication and ingenuity of America’s trail builders and advocates, whose efforts brought so much impact to so many people.
IPR file
Gov. Kim Reynolds unveiled her Invest in Iowa tax plan at the start of the 2020 legislative session, but key lawmakers are opposed to parts of it going into the 2021 session.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has said she intends to ask lawmakers to consider her “Invest in Iowa” tax proposal again, or some version of it, during the 2021 legislative session. But top Republican and Democratic lawmakers are saying they are still not on board with parts of the original plan.
It would raise the sales tax one cent, with three-eighths of a cent funding the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund that voters approved 10 years ago. Most of the remaining new revenue would support income tax cuts on top of those passed in 2018, though they have not been fully implemented and depend on sufficient state revenue growth.