Budget & Taxes

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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passed · Iowa · House Mar 26, 2025

HF 624: 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.

HF 624 expands Iowa's farm tenancy net income exclusion for individual income tax, allowing farmers who earn income through certain business structures (like partnerships, S-corporations, trusts, or single-owner entities) to claim the exclusion as if they received the income directly. It specifically clarifies that net income distributed from these entities qualifies, provided the farmer has the right to withdraw or compel distribution of that income. The change applies retroactively to tax years beginning January 1, 2024, meaning eligible farmers can adjust prior-year taxes. This directly benefits Iowa farmers operating through business entities rather than personally, aligning their tax treatment with farmers who receive income directly from farm tenancies.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExpands tax exclusion for farmers, reducing taxable income and providing tax relief under income tax provisions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 27, 2025

HSB 315: A bill for an act relating to unemployment insurance taxes on employers.

This bill changes how Iowa employers calculate their unemployment insurance taxes. It reduces the percentage used to determine taxable wages from 66.66% to 33.33% of the statewide average weekly wage, lowering the base amount employers pay tax on. It also adds $150 million to available funds when calculating the reserve ratio, which affects the tax rate brackets employers fall into. As a result, most employers will pay lower unemployment taxes under the revised contribution rate tables.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesReduces employer unemployment tax burden by lowering taxable wage percentage and increasing reserve fund, providing direct tax relief for businesses.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 3, 2025

SF 434: A bill for an act relating to the creation of a child care solutions fund, and making an appropriation.

SF 434 creates a state child care solutions fund within Iowa's treasury, controlled by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The fund uses $6 million in state appropriations (for FY 2025-2026) plus interest and private donations to provide a 2:1 state match for communities that secure private investment to increase child care worker wages. This directly affects child care providers and workers in designated geographic areas ("communities"), requiring communities to raise private funds to qualify for state matching dollars. HHS must track and report annually on how funds are used, including wages increased, workers retained or hired, and new child care slots created.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $6M state appropriation to fund child care worker wage increases via 2:1 match, directly increasing public service funding through state budget.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentDirectly funds 2:1 state match to increase child care worker wages, advancing wage standards in labor sector per bill summary and subjects.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations

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died · Iowa · House Mar 31, 2025

HF 796: A bill for an act relating to the double up food bucks program, the supplemental nutrition assistance program and making appropriations and including effective date provisions.

This bill appropriates $1 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to fund Iowa's Double Up Food Bucks program, which helps SNAP recipients buy fresh produce at farmers markets and grocery stores. It requires grant recipients to match funds dollar-for-dollar and allows unspent funds to carry over. The bill also directs Iowa's health department to request a federal waiver changing SNAP eligibility to restrict benefits to "healthy" foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean proteins. The funding and eligibility changes would take effect only after federal approval of the waiver.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $1M for SNAP food assistance program, funding essential public service under state budget priorities.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Apr 1, 2025

SSB 1220: A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations involving state government entities associated with agriculture, natural resources, and environmental protection.

SSB 1220 is an appropriations bill allocating $20.3 million from the general fund to Iowa's Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for its 2025-2026 operations, including administration, regulation, and programs. It specifically funds targeted initiatives such as $325,000 for Iowa State University’s grape and wine research, $249,700 for a butchery innovation program supporting small meat businesses, $1.05 million for foreign animal disease preparedness, and $230,000 for a statewide program assisting farmers with disabilities. The bill requires quarterly spending reports to the legislature and allows unspent funds for certain programs to carry over into the next fiscal year. This bill directly affects state agricultural agencies, universities, and eligible businesses through dedicated budget allocations for existing programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $20.3M from general fund for department operations and specific programs, advancing fiscal management of state resources through targeted appropriations.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill allocates $20.3M to Iowa's Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for environmental protection programs, explicitly listing 'environmental protection' in subjects and funding natural resources initiatives.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 867: A bill for an act requiring that a portion of funds for the Iowa tuition grant be awarded to students pursuing majors leading to high-wage and high-demand jobs and including effective date provisions.

HF 867 requires Iowa's tuition grant program to allocate at least 50% of annual funds to students pursuing academic majors linked to high-wage, high-demand jobs. The bill mandates the workforce development board, in collaboration with Iowa's independent colleges and universities, to create and update a list of qualifying jobs based on specific criteria: entry-level salaries of $40,000+, bachelor's degrees or teaching licenses, and either 250+ annual job openings or 1% annual growth. This list must be reviewed biennially to determine which majors qualify for the funding. The policy directly affects Iowa students receiving tuition grants who enroll in majors on this approved list.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects 50% of existing tuition grant funds to high-demand fields, strategically allocating state budget toward workforce development programs.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill redirects 50% of tuition grant funds to high-demand fields, increasing targeted support for higher education alignment with workforce needs.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Financial Aid

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