Heartland Civic Collaborative 2020 Advocacy Agenda

A collective voice of business and community leaders holds greater weight than any one individual alone. That is why the Heartland Civic Collaborative (HCC) shares a federal advocacy agenda of issues that impact the mega-region between the midwestern metros of Greater Des Moines (DSM), Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis. The priority policies are strategically chosen to gain the greatest impact in areas such as Transportation and Logistics, Life Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Education and Workforce Development. A bipartisan group of senators and representatives push for these priorities at the federal level, ensuring the needs of the Heartland are always top of mind on a national platform.

HCC’s DMDC Experience

Each year, the HCC travels to Washington, D.C. for an opportunity to expand the conversation and take action toward the region’s goals. This year, the trip was as successful as ever, gaining a substantial grant to develop the regional freight technology plan and implementing the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative. These wins for transportation are key for keeping the mega-region relevant and advancing.

In October of 2019, members of the Heartland Civic Collaborative (HCC) visited Washington, D.C. to advocate on issues affecting our region. Representatives from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Civic Council, St. Louis Regional Chamber and The Greater Des Moines Partnership met with the following congressional offices to discuss policies of mutual importance:

• Senator Roy Blunt (MO)*
• Senator Chuck Grassley (IA)*
• Senator Joni Ernst (IA)
• Senator Jerry Moran (KS)*
• Senator Pat Roberts (KS)
• Representative Cindy Axne (IA)
• Representative Mike Bost (IL)
• Representative Emanuel Cleaver (MO)*
• Representative Sharice Davids (KS)
• Representative Abby Finkenauer (IA)
• Representative Jason Smith (MO)*

*denotes a meeting with the Congressional Member

During meetings with Congressional Members and staff, representatives provided a brief overview of the HCC federal advocacy policy agenda as well as covered a variety of issues, which reflected the core initiatives of the HCC organization. Several issues were highlighted, including the Heartland Freight Technology Plan, the ROUTES Initiative and reauthorization of the Startup Act.

Based on the positive feedback from participants in 2018, the HCC fly-in to D.C. is now an annual trip. This serves as an invaluable opportunity to update Congressional Members on the progress of projects in the Heartland mega-region and emphasize the importance of collaboration. Future goals include holding an entrepreneurship assembly, considering a Congressional Heartland Caucus and amplifying the voice of the HCC.

Find out more about HCC’s core initiatives at heartlandciviccollaborative.org.

The Partnership's Public Policy team engages with local, state and federal officials to create public policy that generates economic growth, business prosperity and talent development in Greater Des Moines (DSM). The Partnership is a nonpartisan organization.