SF 647 is a budget bill that allocates state funding to the Department for the Blind, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Regents. It provides financial resources for their day-to-day operations and program delivery. The bill includes specific conditions that determine when certain funding becomes effective. This legislation directly affects these state agencies and the educational services they provide to residents.
HF 1008 creates a legal framework for Iowa municipalities to establish "land redevelopment trusts" aimed at addressing blighted, abandoned, or dilapidated properties. These trusts, created by city ordinance or county resolution, can acquire, rehabilitate, and manage such properties to revitalize neighborhoods and boost tax revenue. The bill defines key terms like "blighted" (unsafe, deteriorated properties) and outlines that trusts must be governed by local boards composed of officials or employees, serving without pay. This enables communities to proactively restore non-productive properties into productive uses, such as affordable housing or commercial spaces, without mandating specific actions.
HF 1033 designates rural water districts, organized under specific state chapters, as exempt entities for sales and use tax purposes. This change allows these districts to apply for refunds on sales and use tax paid for building materials, supplies, equipment, and services from contractors under written agreements. The bill specifically makes construction services provided to these districts exempt from sales tax, which differs from existing law. It also removes a current, more limited sales tax exemption for building materials to prevent duplicate provisions.
HF 1034 creates a new individual income tax credit in Iowa for taxpayers who purchase firearm safety devices. The credit is equal to the sales price of the device, up to a maximum of $500. Eligible devices include those designed to prevent a firearm from being operated without deactivation, or a new, personal-use "qualified gun safe" made of steel or similar strong material. Any unused credit can be carried over to the following tax year, and the bill applies retroactively to purchases made on or after January 1, 2025.
HF 1026 updates the adoption tax credit available against individual income tax for taxpayers in Iowa. The bill increases the maximum credit for qualified adoption expenses from $5,000 to $20,000 per adoption. It also specifies that any credit amount exceeding a taxpayer's liability is refundable. This act takes effect upon enactment and applies retroactively to adoptions finalized on or after January 1, 2024, for tax years beginning on or after that date.
HF 1013 establishes a temporary partial property tax exemption for certain residential properties. This bill directly affects individuals who purchase homes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in areas declared major disaster zones. To qualify, the property must be sold by HUD specifically to provide housing after a disaster, and the new owner must occupy it as their primary residence. The exemption applies for four assessment years, starting with the first full year after the sale, decreasing from 80% of the property's actual value in the first year to 20% in the fourth year.
SF 604 modifies how units of cigarettes and tobacco products are measured for state regulation and taxation purposes. This bill directly affects businesses involved in the sale of these products and the government agencies responsible for their oversight and tax collection. It changes the specific criteria or definitions used to determine the volume of sales for these products.
HF 1022 proposes to exempt the sale of laundry soap and detergent from the state's sales tax. This change would directly affect consumers by reducing the cost of purchasing these household items. The bill amends existing state code to specifically remove sales tax from laundry soap and detergent, an exemption that would also apply to use tax.
This bill modifies how criminal case fines collected within a county are distributed, reducing the percentages allocated to the state court administrator and county treasurer. It establishes a new "victim restitution fund" in the state treasury, which will receive 7% of these collected fines. The fund is dedicated to providing restitution for crime victims, covering "pecuniary damages" and restitution for the death of a victim, as defined by existing law. Monies in this fund will remain available for expenditure year-to-year and will not revert at the close of a fiscal year.
HF 1019 is a bill that exempts the sale of toilet paper from sales tax in Iowa. This means that consumers purchasing toilet paper would no longer pay the state's sales tax on these items. The bill amends Section 423.3 of the Code 2025 to add toilet paper to the list of sales tax exemptions. Due to existing state law, this exemption also applies to the use tax on toilet paper.
