The legislature also passed a bill giving limited immunity for employers who provide truthful, good-faith job references for former employees. New enterprise zone legislation enables 28 counties and 18 cities to attract industry to economically distressed areas by offering property tax exemptions for up to 10 years and a package of state corporate income tax credits. Iowa recently repealed the state inheritance tax for direct descendants, a change long sought by small business interests concerned about passing along family-owned enterprises to heirs. Scheduled to be Operational bu April 1999, NADS will be the most advanced training test facility in the world. The 1997 legislature also passed enterprise zone legislation to promote business investment in economically distressed areas.
Incentives can remain in effect beyond that date.
Strong, Diverse Economy Iowa's economy is strong and diverse. The state is a leading producer of corn, soybeans, pork, beef, poultry, and dairy products. The manufacturing sector is also big business, representing the largest single source of personal income for Iowans. Factory exports continued to grow into 1997. An increasing number of technology companies are expanding in the state, particularly in the areas of value-added biotechnology and computer software development.