Budget & Taxes

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 13, 2025

HF 94: A bill for an act relating to individual income taxation by exempting certain amounts received from nonqualified deferred compensation plans and including retroactive applicability provisions.

HF 94 exempts up to $500,000 of income from nonqualified deferred compensation plans (like certain deferred pay for select employees) from Iowa's individual income tax for eligible individuals. This applies to people who are disabled, at least 55 years old, or surviving spouses of someone who qualified under the same rules. The exemption covers both the principal amount and earnings from these plans, mirroring existing retirement income exclusion rules. The bill applies retroactively to tax years beginning January 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExempts retirement-related income from tax for vulnerable groups (disabled, 55+, survivors), mirroring existing retirement exclusions to provide tax relief consistent with fiscal responsibility policies.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 18, 2025

SF 139: A bill for an act relating to the redevelopment tax credit program, the nuisance property remediation assistance fund, and assistance for communities to address abandoned buildings.

SF 139 updates Iowa's programs to address abandoned properties and underutilized commercial sites. It creates a two-year redevelopment tax credit for grayfield sites (over 50,000 sq ft) in communities with under 30,000 residents. The bill also establishes a nuisance property fund providing up to $500,000 in forgivable loans to cities for remediation of large abandoned buildings (50,000+ sq ft), with 25% forgiveness upon meeting specific cleanup or reuse goals like repurposing for housing or parks. Additionally, it expands community funding to include cities of 5,000-30,000 residents, offering up to $10 per square foot for waste abatement, recycling, and hazardous material removal from abandoned buildings.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates tax credits for redevelopment and forgivable loans for property remediation, directly funding economic development through tax policy.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingProvides forgivable loans for remediation with 25% forgiveness if repurposed for housing, directly incentivizing conversion of abandoned buildings into housing stock.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Community Development

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 18, 2025

SSB 1157: A bill for an act concerning the regulation and support of leisure activities, including by providing for gambling games and sports wagering enforcement, license fees, tax rates, and the use of associated revenue, establishing the Iowa major events and tourism program and fund, modifying the sports tourism marketing and infrastructure program, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.

SSB 1157 regulates gambling and sports wagering in Iowa, directly affecting licensees like racetracks, excursion gambling boats, and gambling structures. It establishes new tax rates (5% on first $1 million, 10% on next $2 million of gambling revenue, with higher rates for specific venues) and requires a $8 million annual transfer from sports wagering revenue to the public safety equipment fund starting July 2026. The bill also creates a gaming enforcement revolving fund to cover costs for investigating gambling operations and modifies license fee calculations based on operational expenses. Additionally, it establishes the Iowa Major Events and Tourism Program and fund to support tourism infrastructure using gambling tax revenue. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes new tax rates on gambling revenue and allocates $8M annually to public safety fund, directly funding public services through budgetary measures.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing Revenue

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 19, 2025

HSB 223: A bill for an act providing for advance deposit wagering on gambling games, including a tax on net receipts, and providing penalties.

This bill establishes a voluntary exclusion system for individuals seeking to self-limit their access to online gambling platforms in Iowa. It requires gambling licensees to electronically access and share a confidential list of excluded individuals (with options for 5-year or lifetime exclusion periods) and provides resources for gambling treatment. Any winnings from wagers placed after exclusion are forfeited to the state general fund. The bill also creates licensing requirements for advance deposit gambling operators, including annual fees and mandatory responsible gaming features on their platforms. It directly affects online gamblers, licensees, and state revenue, with no mention of a new tax on net receipts in the enacted provisions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill imposes tax on gambling net receipts, directing forfeited winnings to state general fund, directly increasing state budget revenue.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue

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died · Iowa · House Mar 21, 2025

HF 56: A bill for an act relating to the farm tenancy net income exclusion available against the individual income tax, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

This Iowa bill (HF 56) expands a tax exclusion for farm tenancy income. It allows farmers who receive net income from farm tenancy agreements through certain business structures - like partnerships, S-corporations, trusts, or disregarded entities - to claim the same exclusion currently available only to those receiving income directly. The key change treats income from these entities as if received directly by the farmer, provided the farmer has the right to withdraw it. The exclusion applies retroactively to tax years starting January 1, 2024, directly affecting farmers operating through such business entities.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExpands tax exclusion for farm income, reducing taxable income for farmers through broader eligibility for existing tax relief.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 25, 2025

HF 534: A bill for an act relating to the veterans trust fund.

HF 534 amends Iowa's veterans trust fund rules to adjust how lottery funds are allocated based on the fund's balance. It raises the threshold from $50 million to $75 million: when the fund balance is below $75 million on July 1, interest and the first $500,000 from lottery funds are directed to the veterans commission for benefits (previously $50 million). The bill removes older funding rules that applied when the fund was between $50 million and $75 million, and stops lottery fund transfers to counties if the fund reaches $75 million or more. This directly affects Iowa veterans by changing how trust fund resources support their programs and services.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects lottery funds to veterans benefits when trust fund balance is below $75M, funding essential veterans programs through budget reallocation.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransRaises fund threshold to $75M, directing more lottery funds to veterans benefits when balance is below threshold, expanding funding allocation.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Veteran Benefits Veteran Education Veteran Healthcare

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died · Iowa · House Apr 9, 2026

HF 601: A bill for an act relating to fees for wire transmissions, and related income tax credits.

HF 601 requires money transfer businesses (licensees) to collect a $5 fee for each wire transfer of $500 or less, plus 2% of any amount over $500. The collected fees must be sent quarterly to Iowa's Department of Revenue, which then forwards all funds to the Office to Combat Human Trafficking. Customers who file individual income tax returns with a valid Social Security or tax ID number can claim a tax credit equal to the fees they paid during the year. Money transfer businesses must post notices informing customers about this tax credit opportunity. The bill directly affects money transfer service providers and their customers using wire transfers within Iowa.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill directs transaction fees to fund anti-human trafficking program, creating new revenue stream for public service while offering tax credits to offset individual costs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax Tax Credits

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died · Iowa · House May 2, 2026

HF 882: A bill for an act relating to a railway tracks overpass and underpass fund, and making appropriations.

HF 882 creates a state fund managed by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide grants for constructing highway overpasses and underpasses across railway tracks. The fund, financed by state appropriations, will directly assist cities and counties in covering construction costs for these safety improvements, which currently require local governments to pay half of maintenance costs without similar construction support for county roads. Key provisions include prohibiting fund money from reverting at year-end and directing the DOT to distribute grants based on need. This bill addresses a gap where cities have limited support for overpass construction while counties lack comparable assistance for secondary roads.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates state fund via appropriations to finance highway safety projects, directly funding public infrastructure through budget allocation.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill creates state fund for highway overpasses/underpasses to improve railway crossing safety, directly funding transportation infrastructure projects.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Bridges Rail Transportation Funding

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 26, 2025

HF 934: A bill for an act making an appropriation to the department of public safety for the creation of a drug interdiction program.

This bill appropriates $1.2 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to create a drug interdiction program within Iowa's Department of Public Safety, partnering with the Iowa National Guard. The program will hire 12 full-time equivalent staff (10 drug interdiction specialists and 2 criminal analysts) to combat illicit drug trafficking across the state. Funds not spent by June 2026 can carry over into the next fiscal year. The measure directly affects state law enforcement agencies by providing dedicated personnel and resources to address drug trafficking.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $1.2M for public safety program, directly funding state law enforcement through budget allocation.90% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeFunds $1.2M for drug interdiction program targeting trafficking, directly strengthening law enforcement capabilities within criminal justice framework.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Drug Policy

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 26, 2025

HF 515: A bill for an act relating to school districts that share the operational functions of a school resource officer, and including applicability provisions.

HF 515 increases state funding for Iowa school districts that share school resource officer (SRO) services with other entities. It raises the supplementary weighting for SRO sharing from 2 to 4 pupils per shared function (up from current law), meaning districts sharing SRO duties receive more state funding based on this higher rate. The bill applies to school budget years starting July 1, 2025, and affects any district sharing SRO operational functions for at least 20% of the school year with a political subdivision or another district. This change redirects additional resources toward student programming by adjusting the funding formula for shared SRO services.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases state funding for school districts sharing SRO services via higher supplementary weighting, directly advancing public service budget allocation.90% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeIncreases state funding for school resource officers (SROs), directly supporting law enforcement presence in schools under criminal justice policy.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly increases state funding for school districts sharing SRO services by raising supplementary weighting from 2 to 4 pupils per shared function, directly advancing school funding.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding School Safety

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