Iowa’s new laws in effect beginning this week

    STATE -- The Iowa legislature passed a number of new laws that went into effect July 1 with a wide range of changes impacting Iowa and Shelby County citizens.
    Rep. Steven Holt (R-Denison) highlighted a tax cut bill, a “constitutional carry” bill and a bill banning teaching of divisive concepts in schools as the most influential bills passed in the legislative session.
    Sen. Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig) said the tax bill is the most impactful of the bills passed during the session. He called it a “multidivisional tax cut bill that is going to leave more money in people’s pockets.”
    The bill implements a number of changes to Iowa tax law, including cuts to income and property taxes, phasing out the inheritance tax and narrowing the state’s nine tax brackets to four brackets.
    The bill also provides additional housing and workforce tax credits and increases eligibility for childcare tax credits for families.
    Additionally, the tax bill will shift funding for mental health services to the state, rather than local property taxes.
    “We are trying to streamline and simplify and make more transparent the path that tax dollars make from the taxpayer to the service they are funding,” Schultz said.

More bill summaries in the NA!