Our members agree, they need more workers. As Iowa’s population continues to stagnate, we need to remove every barrier to work for those already here and develop new strategies to attract workers to the state. We must ensure skilled, qualified workers continue to have the ability to live and work in the United States to help us meet current and future labor demands and drive innovation and entrepreneurship. We must also look to policies that anticipate preparation of future population growth.
Immigration reform is long overdue and will bring measurable population growth to a state like Iowa that has seen below national average population growth over the last 100 years. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, immigrants comprised 44% of Iowa’s population growth from 2010-2019. Additionally, business leaders recognize a diverse workforce means greater success and it’s vital to our population growth that Iowa remain a welcoming state to people of all backgrounds, experiences, and a place where everyone can thrive.
| Policy Solutions | Federal Policy | State Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Support policies that protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protective Status (TPS). * | ★ | |
| Expand the capacity of the employment-based and student-based Visa, as well as agriculture-based system to allow more workers and students to enter and stay in the U.S.* | ★ | |
| Support policies that encourage and support refugee population resettlement to live and work in Iowa. | ★ | |
| Support policies that allow for an easier and safer pathway to citizenship for new Americans and encourage oversight of administrative actions that hinder the ability of employers to hire or continue employing legal immigrant workers. | ★ | |
| Encourage the modernization of a reliable federal employment verification (e-verify) system to check work documentation and discourage a state-by-state approach. | ★ | ★ |
| Support policies that are inclusive to all populations to live and work in Iowa, allowing businesses to attract a diverse workforce and cities to compete to host national events. | ★ | |
| Support policies that do not financially penalize retired workers from remaining or returning to the workforce. | ★ | ★ |
| Support remote worker policies that encourage new workers to move to Iowa and pay taxes in Iowa, as well as policies that do not penalize Iowa businesses from employing workers that live outside of Iowa. | ★ |
(* Featured Priority)
