Rep. Craig Johnson

Maddy summaryHF 565 establishes a partial property tax exemption for certain residential properties. This exemption applies to homes purchased from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by owners who qualify for the homestead tax credit. To be eligible, the sale must be made to provide housing in an area declared a major disaster or disaster emergency. The exemption lasts for four assessment years, starting at 80% of the property's actual value in the first year and decreasing by 20% each subsequent year.

Maddy summaryHouse File 963 proposes to exempt the sale of laundry soap or detergent from the state sales tax. This bill directly affects consumers who purchase these cleaning products and the retailers who sell them. It achieves this by adding a new subsection to Section 423.3 of the state's Code, specifically exempting the sales price of laundry soap or detergent. As a result, these items would also be exempt from the state's use tax.

Maddy summaryHF 962 modifies the Iowa child and dependent care tax credit, affecting taxpayers who claim this credit against their individual income tax. It reduces the number of graduated income thresholds used to calculate the credit from seven to four. The bill also removes the current maximum income threshold for eligibility, allowing taxpayers with higher incomes to potentially claim the credit. Specifically, taxpayers with Iowa net income of $25,000 or more would be eligible for 50% of the federal child and dependent care credit. These changes would apply retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 964 proposes to exempt the sale of toilet paper from the state's sales tax. This would directly affect consumers, who would no longer pay sales tax on toilet paper purchases, and retailers, who would stop collecting sales tax on this item. The bill achieves this by amending Section 423.3 of the state's code, adding the sale of toilet paper to the list of items exempt from sales tax. By operation of existing code, this exemption would also apply to the use tax.

Maddy summaryHF 966 proposes to exempt the sale of dietary supplements from the state sales tax. Currently, dietary supplements are subject to sales tax, similar to candy or soft drinks. This bill would amend existing law to remove dietary supplements from the list of items subject to sales tax. This change would reduce the cost for consumers purchasing products like vitamins and minerals, as the exemption also extends to the use tax.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HF 247) removes the state sales and use tax on purchases of honeybees in Iowa. It directly affects beekeepers, apiaries, and businesses that sell honeybees by eliminating the tax they would otherwise pay when buying these insects. The key provision amends Iowa’s tax code to specifically exempt honeybee sales from both the sales tax (under Code section 423.3) and the use tax (under Code section 423.5, due to existing tax code rules). This change means customers buying honeybees will pay no state tax on the purchase price.

Maddy summaryThis resolution formally recognizes and commends the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) for its 50th anniversary. It highlights NCSL's role as a bipartisan organization supporting state legislatures through research, idea-sharing, and fostering cooperation. The resolution has no policy impact; it simply expresses congressional appreciation and directs the House Chief Clerk to send a copy to NCSL.

Maddy summaryHF 244 would have amended Iowa law to simplify the offense of falsely claiming a pet as a service animal. It removed two requirements needed to prove the crime: that the person received a prior warning about the law and knew the animal wasn't a service animal. The bill would have made it easier to prosecute people who intentionally misrepresent pets as service animals to access public spaces or services. This change would have kept the existing penalty of a simple misdemeanor (up to 30 days in jail and a $105-$855 fine) but lowered the legal bar for conviction. The bill was withdrawn on March 14, 2025, before becoming law.

Maddy summaryHF 419 exempts from Iowa's state sales and use tax the cost of specific items purchased by hotels, motels, and similar lodging providers for direct guest use. The bill covers supplies like toiletries, towels, cleaning products, bottled water, and in-room amenities (e.g., coffee cups, TV service) when these items are actually consumed or used by the guest. This exemption applies only to supplies sold to the lodging provider for guest consumption, not for general business operations. The tax exemption also extends to use tax under Iowa law, as specified in the bill's explanation. The bill defines "lodging provider" as a business offering temporary lodging and "lodging supplies" as listed items used directly by guests.

Maddy summaryHF 608 allows county hospitals in Iowa to establish and operate child care facilities for their employees. County hospital boards may run the facilities directly or contract with an existing licensed child care provider. All operations, maintenance, and improvements must follow the state’s existing child care regulations under Chapter 237A. The bill directly affects county hospitals seeking to provide on-site child care services.