Government : Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

CLS Students take advantage of a beautiful day at the top of the Capitol's Golden Dome.

Iowa House Members welcome Taipei, Taiwan's Director General Dennis Yen-Feng Lei (5th from left).

Central Lutheran School Student Council visits the State Capitol on March 6th.

This last Friday was the annual end of the first funnel for bills in the Iowa Legislature. In other words, Friday was the last day for individual bills to be passed in their respective committees to be eligible for debate in either the House or Senate. There were no bills debated on the House floor to allow committees time this week to pass their bills.

Before the session started, probably the number one concern from people across Iowa was property taxes. According to https://taxrelief.org, Iowa property taxes over the last 20 years have grown 109.7%, while inflation grew 61.3% and the population grew 8.6%. They stated a reasonable property tax growth would have been 69.9%, far less than the actual almost 110%. It is not fair that retired people could face eviction of their own paid-for house if they don't have the money to pay property taxes.

There are at least five bills introduced in the House & Means committee that are intended to improve property taxes. House Study Bill (HSB) 304 sets per parcel increases at three percent. This bill is basically what passed in the House I think in the 2023 session. HSB 303 was filed, which proposes to use the taxpayer relief fund to buy down property taxes.

HF 600 has proposals to put a 2% cap on the average levy per $1000 but permits local governments to go higher than 2% with a 60% vote of the people. HF 418 modifies the methodology for determining the actual value of residential property, assessment limitations of certain classes of property, and certain levy rate limitations. A fifth bill, not yet assigned a number, was filed with a companion bill in the Senate and intends to overhaul the property tax system.

Keep in mind that these bills are a work in progress and can very possibly be amended for the better. I'm open to all of them, but HF 600 is very appealing by allowing taxpayers to determine whether large property tax increases are necessary. I will keep you updated which of these bills pass and feel free to send me your thoughts on any or all of these.

Medicaid Expansion work requirements have been addressed in HSB 248. This bill requires able-bodied people to work at least 80 hours per month as a condition of maintaining eligibility. There are exceptions, such as those under 19 or over 64 years old, disabled individuals as determined by Social Security, high risk pregnant women, people in substance abuse treatment, caretakers of dependent children under 6 years old, and good cause as determined by the DHHS director. Over 100,000 Iowans on Medicaid Expansion are not working, according to the DHHS. This bill will help Iowans to reduce their dependence on government assistance.

Visitors to the State Capitol this last week were the student council of Central Lutheran School in Newhall on Thursday, March 6th. We were able to go on the House floor, have a Q & A for a half hour, and probably the favorite of most - to go all the way up and outside at the top of the golden dome! We were also honored to pass a resolution that recognized our trading partnership with Taiwan, our Iowa Sister State since 1989. Dennis Yen-Feng Lei, the Director General from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, gave an inspiring speech on the House floor highlighting our wonderful relationship.

I hope you have a safe and healthy week and support our local businesses. Have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day!