March 28, 2024

Iowa No. 1 state for ‘places to work’ thanks to private, public, nonprofit partnership

The Best Place to Work in America —"It's not California or New York," a recent Zippia study found, "it's Iowa." With a reasonable cost of living and the lowest unemployment rate in the nation (2.4 percent), Iowa's trifecta of public, private and nonprofit sectors is soaring.

Given that some coastal elites are already rolling into Iowa for the upcoming caucus season, I hope they have their ears open and are willing to learn about Iowa's success and upward trajectory. Iowans don't want to swing left or right — but to keep going up.

Before reinventing the wheel and telling Iowans how to do renewable energy with claims of “Green New Deals,” these fly-by politicos should appreciate that Iowa passed the nation’s first renewable electricity standard in 1983, almost a decade before some of them were born.

Since then, Iowa has been ranked No. 1 in the Midwest and Top Ten in the country for renewable energy investment. I’d take a homegrown renewable energy policy over a suffocating Washington, D.C. directive any day. Iowa is a top state in wind energy production, returning over $10 billion in investment for our state.

Across the board, the state legislature is a key partner in Iowa’s upward swing by incentivizing renewable power, ending short-term subsidies to energy companies, and returning more of that $200 million to utility rate-payers for direct community investment.

This session, I am proud to work with bi-partisan leaders to ensure utility costs are clear and transparent to renters and homebuyers. There is no hidden cost more frustrating than signing a lease with a stated rental price, only to find the utility bill can be two to three times higher than expected. Together, we’ll keep working to ensure families enjoy safe communities, quality public services, and world-class education options — all with a reasonable cost of living.

Keeping Iowa Ahead of the Curve — Achieving all of these goals requires collaborative, efficient leadership at every level. Iowa has a AAA bond rating and earned a Top Three Best Managed State designation. These accomplishments don't just happen; they're the result of the collaborative hard work of our communities and budget responsibility of the legislature.

Going forward, I want to secure Iowa’s No. 1 status by ramping up workforce training and using strategic initiatives to grow Main Street businesses and boost high-paying career opportunities. We will also do well by increasing affordable housing options in rural towns and reining in property taxes to encourage home ownership.

Education, too, remains the center of Iowa’s success equation, which is why I helped lead and pass programs such as SAVE, to invest in Iowa schools’ infrastructure, technology and security. In total, this will add $16 billion new school funds — the largest K-12 investments in Iowa’s history.

Comprehensive Community Safety — Iowa is on the path to more secure communities because we have a comprehensive approach to public safety. For example, safety means keeping drunks off the road – and I've been proud to collaborate with law enforcement to lead ignition interlock and 24/7 sobriety legislation to make sure OWI offenders don't take to the roads.

Safety also means making sure domestic abuse survivors — who are most commonly females age 18 to 24 — are the first priority when an incident is reported. Iowans like Tiffany Allison, founder of Soaring Hearts Foundation, have been vital partners in helping me pass efforts to make Iowa proactive on preventing abuse, crack down on habitual domestic abusers, and improve survivor protections. The philosophy is simple: Iowa has to be tough on crime, smart on crime and always put survivors first.

In 2019, safety also means making sure schools have the funds and know-how to secure the learning environment. I’ve been proud to champion “SAVE,” a bill that will provide $16 billion to schools, which they can use to modernize infrastructure, security systems, and classroom technology.

Keep in touch — Please don't hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance. Also, if you have an event, organization, or small business you want to showcase, let's chat

Email Sen. Zach Nunn at zach.nunn@legis.iowa.gov