Published February 27, 2007 State Sen. Pat Ward, R-West Des Moines, represents District 30 in the Iowa Senate. The district includes West Des Moines, Clive and Windsor Heights. Ward can be reached at 281-3371 or pat.ward@ legis.state.ia.us. Ward worries about protecting business BY PAT WARD SENATE DISTRICT 30 I'm very troubled by a growing number of bills that are currently under consideration in the legislature that will seriously impact the bottom-line cost of doing business in Iowa. I've already shared my deep opposition of any and all attempts to repeal the Right to Work law in Iowa, but there are several other bills that present a big challenge to our efforts to attract and retain jobs and do business in our state. Iowa is already ranked fourth-highest in the nation for urban commercial property taxes and second-worst on the small business survival index. As ranking member of the Senate Labor and Business Committee, I'm opposed to any laws that chase jobs from our state and I'm concerned that is just what might happen if any of these bills become law: - Senate Study Bill 1120 - Guts Iowa's Right to Work law by requiring non-union members who work in union shops to pay union dues or be fired. - Senate Study Bill 1158 - Would repeal employer choice of medical providers in workers' compensation claims, allowing employees to choose. This would let employees seek their own care at the employer's expense without providing notice of injury to the employer for up to 90 days. Estimates show this would result in a 10 to 15 percent increase in workers' comp premiums for employers. Iowa's current system has a built-in incentive for employers to get the best medical care for injured employees. The employer insurance carrier's cost is better controlled with higher quality care, quicker recovery, and faster returns. The only way to achieve those outcomes is to have assurance that the medical selection is based on quality of care. Employee choice would not necessarily give the employee the expert care they need to be able to return to work as soon as they are able. - Senate Study Bill 1157 - Allow workers' comp claims to be made in Iowa for injuries suffered by an employee while working outside the state, but domiciled in Iowa. Iowa has some of the richest benefits in the country and this could cause workers' comp premiums for employers to rise. - Senate Study Bill 1202 - Would allow double dipping of workers' comp benefits for an injury that an employee has already been compensated for. This would cause workers' comp insurance premiums to go up by about 3 percent. - Senate Study Bill 1146 - Repeals the 15-year statute of limitation on product liability cases and in cases involving improvements to property or remodeling projects. This would expose businesses to unlimited liability on equipment and construction projects, having a drastic impact on insurance rates. - Senate Study Bill 326 - Requires combined reporting of income tax returns for companies operating in Iowa, but that have additional locations out-of-state. This would essentially double tax such operations because they would continue to pay income tax in the state they are located in on top of Iowa income tax. I will continue to fight any efforts that hurt Iowa's ability to attract and retain jobs. One of my top priorities is to make sure that Iowa is open for business and that companies view Iowa as a friendly place to do business. I want to make sure my kids and your kids have a chance to live and work in the state we all call home.