Education, taxes, and transportation will be the main topics when business and government leaders from the Quad Cities make their annual trip to Des Moines. Wednesday and Thursday, the chamber of commerce will lead a delegation of about 35 people.
Director of Government Affairs, Henry Marquard, says their top priority this week, and for later trips to Springfield and Washington, is workforce development.
"Insuring that we have a high quality, highly educated workforce. So that ranges from workforce incentives, economic development incentives that support that, all the way to school funding - making sure schools are adequately and equally funded."
Chamber members are also very interested in simplifying Iowa's tax code.
"But at the same time, we'll stress to the legislators that while they simplify the tax code, it's important that we support economic development tools, and incentives that are used to create economic growth in the state."
Marquard says he agrees with Governor Terry Branstad that a tax cut would be wonderful, but the state can't afford it now and any tax simplification must be "revenue neutral."
For transportation, they'll stress the importance of widening Interstate 80 to six lanes, and building a new I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River, between Bettendorf and Moline.
On Wednesday, the Quad Cities delegation will meet with members of both houses of the legislature plus the governor and lieutenant governor. Thursday, they'll meet with agencies, including the Department of Transportation and Department of Economic Development.
