15.108  Primary responsibilities.
  The authority has the following areas of primary responsibility:
  1.  Finance.  To provide for financial assistance to businesses, local governments, and educational institutions through loans and grants of state and federal funds to enable them to promote and achieve economic development within the state. To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  a.  Expend federal funds received as community development block grants as provided in section 8.41.
  b.  Provide staff assistance to the corporation formed under authority of sections 15E.11 through 15E.16 to receive and disburse funds to further the overall development and well-being of the state.
  2.  Marketing.  To aid in all of the following:
  a.  The marketing and promotion of Iowa products and services.
  b.  The promotion and development of the agricultural processing industry in the state.
  3.  Local government and service coordination.  To coordinate the development of state and local government economic development-related programs in order to promote efficient and economic use of federal, state, local, and private resources.
  a.  To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  (1)  Provide the mechanisms to promote and facilitate the coordination of management and technical assistance services to Iowa businesses and industries and to communities by the authority, by the community colleges, and by the state board of regents institutions, including the small business development centers, the center for industrial research and service, and extension activities. In order to achieve this goal, the authority may establish periodic meetings with representatives from the community colleges and the state board of regents institutions to develop this coordination. The community colleges and the state board of regents institutions shall cooperate with the authority in seeking to avoid duplication of economic development services through greater coordinating efforts in the utilization of space, personnel, and materials and in the development of referral and outreach networks. The authority shall also establish a registry of applications for federal funds related to management and technical assistance programs.
  (2)  Provide office space and staff assistance to the city development board as provided in section 368.9.
  (3)  Provide technical and financial assistance to local and regional government organizations in Iowa, analyze intergovernmental relations in Iowa, and recommend policies to state agencies, local governments, the governor, and the general assembly as these pertain to economic development.
  (4)  Train field experts in local development and through them provide continuing support to small local organizations.
  (5)  Encourage cities, counties, local and regional government organizations, and local and regional economic development organizations to develop and implement comprehensive community and economic development plans. 
  b.  In addition to the duties specified in paragraph “a”, the authority may:
  (1)  Perform state and interstate comprehensive planning and related activities.
  (2)  Perform planning for metropolitan or regional areas or areas of rapid urbanization including interstate areas.
  (3)  Provide planning assistance to cities, counties, local and regional government organizations, and local and regional economic development organizations. Subject to the availability of funds for this purpose, the authority may provide financial assistance to cities, counties, local and regional government organizations, and local and regional economic development organizations for the purpose of developing community and economic development plans.
  (4)  Assist public or private universities and colleges and urban centers to:
  (a)  Organize, initiate, develop, and expand programs which will provide special training in skills needed for economic and efficient community development.
  (b)  Support state and local research that is needed in connection with community development.
  4.  Exporting.  To promote and aid in the marketing and sale of Iowa industrial and agricultural products and services outside of the state. To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  a.  Perform the duties and activities specified for the agricultural marketing program under sections 15.201 and 15.202.
  b.  Seek assistance and advice from the Iowa district export council which advises the United States department of commerce.
  5.  Tourism.  To promote Iowa’s public and private recreation and tourism opportunities to Iowans and out-of-state visitors and aid promotional and development efforts by local governments and the private sector. To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  a.  Build general public consensus and support for Iowa’s public and private recreation, tourism, and leisure opportunities and needs.
  b.  Recommend high quality site management and maintenance standards for all public and private recreation and tourism opportunities.
  c.  Coordinate and develop with the department of transportation, the department of natural resources, other state agencies, and local and regional entities public interpretation, marketing, and education programs that encourage Iowans and out-of-state visitors to participate in the recreational and leisure opportunities available in Iowa. The authority shall establish and administer a program that helps connect both Iowa residents and residents of other states to new and existing Iowa experiences as a means to enhance the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the state. The program shall include a broad range of new opportunities, both rural and urban, including main street destinations, green space initiatives, and artistic and cultural attractions.
  d.  Promote the contributions of Iowa’s recreation, tourism, and leisure resources on a national level.
  e.  Consolidate and coordinate the many existing sources of information about local, regional, statewide, and national opportunities into a comprehensive, state-of-the-art information delivery system for Iowans and out-of-state visitors.
  f.  Formulate and direct marketing and promotion programs to specific out-of-state market populations exhibiting the highest potential for consuming Iowa’s public and private tourism products.
  g.  Provide ongoing long-range planning on a statewide basis for improvements in Iowa’s public and private tourism opportunities.
  h.  Provide the private sector and local communities with advisory services including analysis of existing resources and deficiencies, general development and financial planning, marketing guidance, hospitality training, and others.
  i.  Measure the change in public opinion of Iowans regarding the importance of recreation, tourism, and leisure.
  j.  Provide annual monitoring of tourism visitation by Iowans and out-of-state visitors to Iowa attractions, public and private employment levels, and other economic indicators of the recreation and tourism industry and report predictable trends.
  k.  Identify new business investment opportunities for private enterprise in the recreation and tourism industry.
  l.  Seek coordination with and assistance from the state department of natural resources in regard to the Mississippi river parkway under chapter 308 for the purposes of furthering tourism efforts.
  m.  Collect, assemble, and publish a list of farmers who have agreed to host overnight guests, for purposes of promoting agriculture in the state and farm tourism, to the extent that funds are available.
  n.  Establish a revolving fund to receive contributions to be used for cooperative advertising efforts. Fees and royalties obtained as a result of licensing the use of logos and other creative materials for sale by private vendors on selected products may be deposited in the fund. The authority shall adopt by rule a schedule for fees and royalties to be charged.
  6.  Small business.  To provide assistance to small business, targeted small business, microenterprises, and entrepreneurs creating small businesses to ensure continued viability and growth. To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  a.  Receive and review complaints from individual small businesses that relate to rules or decisions of state agencies, and refer questions and complaints to a governmental agency where appropriate.
  b.  Establish and administer the regulatory information service provided for in section 15E.17.
  c.  Provide aid for the development and implementation of the Iowa targeted small business procurement Act established in sections 73.15 through 73.22.
  d.  (1)  Establish standards and procedures, by rule, for certifying that targeted small businesses are eligible to participate in the procurement program established in sections 73.15 through 73.21 and are eligible for financial and technical assistance provided for under this subsection. The rules for certifying eligibility adopted pursuant to this paragraph shall not recognize self-certification by a business. The authority may also establish, by rule, the appropriate level of public access to differing classes of electronic records and other records under the procurement program to ensure the confidentiality of any records that are required by law to be confidential.
  (2)  Maintain a current directory of targeted small businesses certified pursuant to this paragraph. The authority shall also provide information to the department of administrative services necessary for the identification of targeted small businesses under section 8A.111, subsection 6.
  e.  If determined necessary by the board, provide training for bank loan officers to increase their level of expertise in regard to business loans.
  f.  Encourage and assist small businesses, including small businesses owned and operated by disabled veterans, to obtain state contracts and subcontracts by cooperating with the directors of purchasing in the department of administrative services, the state board of regents, and the state department of transportation in performing the following functions:
  (1)  Developing a uniform small business vendor application form which can be adopted by all agencies and departments of state government to identify small businesses and targeted small businesses which desire to sell goods and services to the state. This form shall also contain information which can be used to determine certification as a targeted small business pursuant to paragraph “d”.
  (2)  Compiling and maintaining a comprehensive source list of small businesses.
  (3)  Assuring that responsible small businesses are solicited on each suitable purchase.
  (4)  Assisting small businesses in complying with the procedures for bidding and negotiating for contracts.
  (5)  Simplifying procurement specifications and terms in order to increase the opportunities for small business participation.
  (6)  When economically feasible, dividing total purchases into tasks or quantities to permit maximum small business participation.
  (7)  Preparing timely forecasts of repetitive contracting requirements by dollar volume and types of contracts to enhance the participation of responsible small businesses in the public purchasing process.
  (8)  Developing a mechanism to measure and monitor the amount of participation by small businesses in state procurement.
  7.  Cultural affairs.  To develop the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history, and other cultural matters. To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  a.  Accept, receive, and administer grants or other funds or gifts from public or private agencies, including the federal government, for the authority.
  b.  Design a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa arts council to develop the arts in Iowa. The authority is designated as the state agency for carrying out the plan.
  c.  Establish advisory groups as necessary for the receipt of federal funds or grants or the administration of any of the authority’s programs.
  d.  Provide technical assistance for the production of film, television, and video projects in the state.
  8.  Economic development planning and research activities.  To provide leadership and support for economic and community development activities statewide. To carry out this responsibility, the authority may establish a research center for economic development programs and services whose duties may include but are not limited to the following:
  a.  Implementation of a comprehensive statewide economic development planning process and provision of leadership, coordination, and support to regional and local economic and community planning efforts.
  b.  Coordination of the delivery of economic and community development programs with other local, regional, state, federal, and private sector programs and activities.
  c.  Collection and analysis of data and information, development of databases and performing research to keep abreast of Iowa’s present economic base, changing market demands, and emerging trends, including identification of targeted markets and development of marketing strategies.
  d.  Provision of access to databases to facilitate sales and exports by Iowa businesses.
  e.  Establishment of a database of community and economic information to aid local, regional, and statewide economic development and service delivery efforts.
  9.  Housing development.
  a.  To provide assistance to local governments, housing organizations, economic development groups, and other local entities to increase the development of housing in the state and to improve the quality of existing housing in order to maximize the effects of other economic development efforts.
  b.  To carry out this responsibility, the authority shall:
  (1)  Provide housing needs assessments.
  (2)  Provide a one-stop source, in coordination with other agencies of the state, for housing development assistance.
  (3)  Establish programs which assist communities or local entities in developing housing to meet a range of community needs, including programs to assist in the development of housing to enhance economic development opportunities in the community.
  10.  Miscellaneous.  To provide other necessary services, the authority shall do all of the following:
  a.  Collect and assemble, or cause to have collected and assembled, all pertinent information available regarding the industrial, agricultural, and public and private recreation and tourism opportunities and possibilities of the state of Iowa, including raw materials and products that may be produced from the raw materials; power and water resources; transportation facilities; available markets; the banking and financing facilities; the availability of industrial sites; the advantages of the state as a whole, and particular sections of the state, as industrial locations; the development of a grain alcohol motor fuel industry and its related products; and other fields of research and study as the board deems necessary. This information shall consider the encouragement of new industrial enterprises in the state and the expansion of industries now existing within the state, and allied fields to those industries. The information shall also consider the changing composition of the Iowa family, the level of poverty among different age groups, and different family structures in Iowa society and their impact on Iowa families.
  b.  Apply for, receive, contract for, and expend federal funds and grants, and funds and grants from other sources.
  c.  Except as otherwise provided in sections 8A.110, 260C.14, and 262.9, provide that an inventor whose research is funded in whole or in part by the state shall assign to the state a proportionate part of the inventor’s rights to a letter patent resulting from that research. The state’s portion of the royalties or earnings derived from a letter patent shall be paid to the treasurer of state and credited by the treasurer to the general fund of the state. The authority, in conjunction with other state agencies including the board of regents, shall provide incentives to inventors whose research is funded in whole or in part by the state to encourage the inventors to have the invented products produced in the state. The incentives may include the state receiving a smaller portion of the inventor’s royalties or earnings than would otherwise occur under this paragraph or other provisions of law.
  d.  Administer or oversee federal rural economic development programs in the state.
  e.  At the director’s discretion, accept payment by credit card of any fees, interest, penalties, subscriptions, registrations, purchases, or other payments, or any portion of such payments, which are due or collected by the authority. The authority may adjust the amount of the payment to reflect the costs of processing the payment as determined by the treasurer of state. Payment by credit card shall include, in addition to all other charges, any discount charged by the credit card issuer.
  f.  Provide technical assistance to individuals who are pursuing the purchase and operation of employee-owned businesses.
  g.  Administer the Iowa energy center established in section 15.120. This paragraph “g” is repealed July 1, 2027.
  h.  Administer the partner state program created in section 15.421.
86 Acts, ch 1142, §1; 86 Acts, ch 1238, §44; 86 Acts, ch 1245, §808; 87 Acts, ch 101, §2; 87 Acts, ch 106, §1; 88 Acts, ch 1098, §1; 88 Acts, ch 1273, §6 – 8; 89 Acts, ch 196, §1; 89 Acts, ch 209, §1; 89 Acts, ch 258, §12; 90 Acts, ch 1047, §1; 90 Acts, ch 1140, §1; 90 Acts, ch 1156, §3; 90 Acts, ch 1255, §2; 91 Acts, ch 28, §1; 91 Acts, ch 109, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1089, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1244, §11; 93 Acts, ch 167, §9; 93 Acts, ch 180, §34, 35; 94 Acts, ch 1023, §4; 94 Acts, ch 1199, §16; 96 Acts, ch 1186, §1 – 4, 23; 97 Acts, ch 15, §1, 2; 97 Acts, ch 214, §1; 98 Acts, ch 1175, §1, 2; 99 Acts, ch 197, §20, 23; 2001 Acts, ch 61, §2 – 5; 2003 Acts, ch 44, §9; 2003 Acts, ch 71, §1; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §138, 286
; 2003 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 1, §76, 133
[2003 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 1, §76, 133, amendment adding new paragraph g to subsection 9, stricken pursuant to Rants v. Vilsack, 684 N.W.2d 193]
2006 Acts, ch 1100, §1; 2007 Acts, ch 126, §5; 2007 Acts, ch 207, §6, 18; 2008 Acts, ch 1122, §4, 7 – 9; 2008 Acts, ch 1178, §2; 2010 Acts, ch 1031, §261; 2010 Acts, ch 1049, §1; 2011 Acts, ch 118, §85, 89; 2011 Acts, ch 122, §11, 14; 2013 Acts, ch 13, §3 – 5; 2016 Acts, ch 1115, §15; 2017 Acts, ch 160, §7 – 9; 2017 Acts, ch 169, §34, 49; 2021 Acts, ch 80, §6; 2022 Acts, ch 1007, §1, 12; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §1728, 2077 – 2080, 2216; 2024 Acts, ch 1167, §3 – 11; 2024 Acts, ch 1170, §145, 146; 2024 Acts, ch 1182, §119, 120; 2025 Acts, ch 147, §30
Referred to in §8A.111, 15.436, 15.466, 19B.7, 73.16, 455B.199B
Subsection 7 amended