Budget & Taxes

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 3, 2026

SSB 3019: A bill for an act relating to real estate transfer tax, including declarations of value.

SSB 3019 amends Iowa's real estate transfer tax law to expand exemptions from submitting a declaration of value when recording property transfers. It specifically exempts three new categories: (1) corporate/LLC mergers or reorganizations, (2) transfers between family entities and owners for no consideration (like shares/debt), and (3) trust asset distributions to beneficiaries without payment. This affects real estate sellers, buyers, and county recorders who process property transfers. The bill does not change tax rates but reduces paperwork for these specific exempt transactions.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExpands tax exemptions for real estate transfers, reducing potential tax revenue. Directly weakens tax collection mechanism by exempting more transactions from declaration requirements.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 6, 2026

HSB 642: A bill for an act relating to indirect costs charged to state-funded grants, and including applicability provisions.

HB 642 establishes a 5% cap on indirect costs (overhead expenses like administration, utilities, and shared services) charged to state-funded grants in Iowa, effective July 1, 2026. It directly affects state departments awarding grants and grantees (including nonprofits, schools, and local governments) receiving state funds. The bill requires separate budgeting for direct costs (program-specific expenses) and indirect costs, mandates documentation of cost allocations, and prohibits reclassifying indirect costs as direct costs to bypass the cap. Grantees must maintain records for 10 years, and departments must monitor compliance to disallow excess costs or recover funds.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesCaps indirect costs at 5% for state grants, restricting budget allocation for overhead expenses in grant administration.90% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 18, 2026

SSB 3074: A bill for an act relating to indirect costs charged to state-funded grants, and including applicability provisions.

This bill sets a 5% cap on indirect costs (administrative expenses like management, payroll, and facility costs) charged to state-funded grants in Iowa, effective July 1, 2026. It directly affects grant recipients (including nonprofits, local governments, schools, and for-profits) and state departments administering grants by requiring them to: 1) Separate direct and indirect costs in budgets, 2) Prohibit reclassifying indirect costs as direct costs to bypass the cap, and 3) Maintain documentation for audits. State departments must enforce the cap during grant approval and monitor compliance, with disallowed costs recoverable from grantees.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill caps indirect costs at 5% for state grants, restricting administrative spending on public funds and limiting budget flexibility for grant recipients.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes State Budget

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introduced · Iowa · Legislature

5472XD: Economic Development, Tax Credit Programs and Load Forecasting (5472XD) - Economic Development Authority

This bill establishes the "EDGE Program" (Headquarters Expansion and Development for Growth and Employment), offering tax incentives to eligible businesses that expand or retain corporate headquarters in Iowa. It directly affects businesses in advanced manufacturing, bioscience, technology, or finance that generate over 50% of revenue outside Iowa, maintain comprehensive employee benefits, and prove competing states are vying for their headquarters. Key provisions require businesses to document global presence, avoid simple intra-state relocations, and meet specific wage thresholds based on local labor data. The bill also repeals several existing tax credit programs, including the New Jobs Tax Credit and Major Economic Growth Attraction Program, while creating a new fund for business incentives training.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesProvides tax credits to corporations, reducing state revenue; aligns with tax breaks for wealthy businesses, opposing fiscal responsibility for public services.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Tax Credits Tax Incentives Tags Economic Development

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 9, 2026

HSB 561: A bill for an act relating to the excise tax on certain ethanol blended gasoline purchased exclusively for use in an implement used in agricultural production.

This bill exempts ethanol-blended gasoline containing over 85% ethanol (E-85) from Iowa's excise tax when purchased at a terminal or refinery rack exclusively for use in farm machinery. It directly affects Iowa farmers and agricultural businesses that use E-85 fuel in tractors, harvesters, and other equipment for crop production. The key provision removes the requirement to pay the tax upfront and seek a refund under current law, making the exemption automatic for this specific agricultural use. This change applies only to fuel bought for farm equipment, not general vehicle use.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExempts agricultural E-85 fuel from excise tax, reducing state tax revenue for this category. Direct tax cut for farmers weakens tax collection.90% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyExempts E-85 ethanol fuel tax for agricultural use, directly promoting renewable energy adoption in farming operations by reducing costs for renewable fuel.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Sales Tax

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 9, 2026

SF 2060: A bill for an act relating to eligibility standards for certain education programs and tax provisions based on religious or sectarian use or purpose, and including retroactive applicability provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's education and tax laws to ensure public funding for educational programs excludes religious instruction. It defines "property" to exclude facilities used for sectarian teaching, worship, or religious training, and requires courses for high school students taking college credit to be nonsectarian. School districts must verify comparable nonreligious courses aren't available before allowing students to enroll in eligible college courses at community colleges. Textbook funding for nonpublic schools must be for nonreligious materials, and districts must annually approve courses for academic rigor. The bill affects public school districts, community colleges, and accredited nonpublic schools in Iowa.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill restricts public funding for religious instruction by modifying tax laws, excluding sectarian facilities and requiring nonsectarian courses. This defunds religious use of public funds, directly limiting government spending per tax provisions.90% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts public funding for religious instruction in education programs, excluding sectarian use from tax provisions and requiring nonsectarian courses.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education K-12 Education

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introduced · Iowa · Legislature

5536XD: State Grants, Indirect Costs Limits (5536XD) - Administrative Services, Department of

This bill (5536XD) sets a 5% cap on indirect costs charged to state-funded grants, effective July 1, 2026. It directly affects grantees - including nonprofits, local governments, schools, and other organizations receiving state grants - by requiring that all indirect costs (like administrative overhead) combined cannot exceed 5% of the total grant amount. Key provisions mandate separate budgeting of direct and indirect costs, prohibit reclassifying indirect costs as direct costs to bypass the cap, and require grantees to maintain documentation for 10 years. Departments must review budgets for compliance and recover disallowed costs exceeding the cap. The cap does not apply to federal funds with separate indirect cost rules.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesCaps indirect costs at 5% for state grants, restricting administrative spending on public funds per fiscal management provisions.90% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 22, 2026

SF 2050: A bill for an act relating to the individual income tax by allowing members of the general assembly to deduct unreimbursed mileage when performing constituent services under certain circumstances, and including retroactive applicability provisions.

SF 2050 allows Iowa legislators to deduct unreimbursed mileage costs incurred while performing constituent services (like meeting with voters or helping residents with government issues) at the same rate used for state employee travel expenses. This deduction does not apply to mileage during legislative sessions, special sessions, or campaign-related activities. The bill applies retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. It directly affects Iowa legislators who incur out-of-pocket mileage costs while serving constituents outside official session days.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesCreates a new tax deduction for legislators, reducing state tax revenue through a special provision, weakening fiscal management by expanding tax breaks.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 11, 2026

HF 2043: A bill for an act relating to the payment of dues by the general assembly for membership in professional organizations by members of the general assembly, and including effective date provisions.

HF 2043 changes how Iowa's General Assembly funds professional memberships for its members. It prohibits the state from paying dues for collective memberships (like the National Conference of State Legislatures) on behalf of all legislators. Instead, the General Assembly must annually calculate the total dues for those organizations and distribute the equal amount directly to each member, who can then use the funds only to join specific organizations listed in the bill, such as the Council of State Governments or the Heritage Foundation. This shifts funding responsibility from the state to individual legislators for these professional affiliations.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRestricts state funding for collective legislative memberships by shifting costs to individual members, reducing government spending on this item.85% confidence

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introduced · Iowa · Legislature

5374XD: Governmental Subdivision Audits, Income Tax Exemption (5374XD) - Auditor of State

This bill (5374XD) exempts certified public accountants (CPAs) from Iowa state income tax on fees earned from auditing or examining local governments (like cities, counties, or school districts). It amends Iowa tax codes 422.7 (individual tax) and 422.35 (corporate tax) to exclude such income from taxable earnings. The exemption applies retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. The bill directly affects CPAs who perform these government audits, removing a tax liability on their fees for this specific service.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExempts CPAs from income tax on government audit fees, reducing state revenue and creating a targeted tax break for professionals, aligning with 'creates tax breaks primarily for wealthy' indicator.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Audits & Accountability Business Taxes Income Tax

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