(Radio Iowa) – A House committee has unanimously voted for legislation that would prevent the property tax bill on an Iowa residence or Ag-land from going up more than three percent a year. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. “This is centered around the increase for your actual bill, which is designed to give taxpayers not only predictability but also stop the bleeding for continually increasing property tax bills,” Kaufmann says.

The legislation does have a property improvement exception, so a property tax bill could go up more than three percent if someone spent one-hundred-thousand dollars building an addition on a house, for example. A SENATE committee has voted for a three percent cap on most property tax bill increases, but using a slightly different mechanism.

Republican Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs — chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee — says he’s talking almost daily with Kaufmann about property tax limitations. “We’re not talking apples and oranges on different topics,” Dawson says. “We’re all in agreement. It’s just kind of working on those details and where we land on in the end.”

The bill that cleared the HOUSE Ways and Means Committee also calls for all bond referendums to be decided in November General Elections. It proposes a reduction in the local school district levy — replacing over 200 million dollars in PROPERTY taxes with state tax revenue. Representative Dave Jacoby, of Coralville, says Democrats on the committee voted for the overall package.

“The property tax affects every single person in the state of Iowa and we like what we see,” Jacoby says. But Jacoby says Democrats would like to see some assurances that the state would be REQUIRED to provide local school districts with that 200 million dollars every year, to avoid budget woes for public schools.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to require more screening for Iowans receiving government food and health care assistance is headed to the governor for her signature.A household with more than 15-thousand dollars worth of assets that could be quickly sold or turned into cash would be ineligible for food stamps. Iowans receiving food stamps AND those enrolled in Medicaid would have to more frequently show their income is low enough to qualify for the programs. Representative Joel Fry, a Republican from Osceola, says the bill strikes a balance for taxpayers and those who are eligible for benefits.

“House Republicans believe that maintaining the safety net is critical for all Iowans, those who receive as well as those who give,” Fry said. Democrats cite a non-partisan report suggesting errors will deny government assistance to Iowa adults and kids who are eligible. Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, says the fraud rate for food stamps is virtually non-existent.

“The rate is 0.07%. Our laws should be based on reality, on the state of things as they actually exist,” she said. “This bill makes it so more kids will go to school hungry.” Representative Josh Turek. a Democrat from Council Bluffs, says including vehicles in an asset test makes no sense, since Iowans — particularly those who live in rural areas — need reliable vehicles to get to work, school or the doctor. “In my opinion, this bill is a disgrace,” he said. “It’s morally reprehensible. The bill takes away food from veterans, the elderly, poor children and disabled individuals.”

Fry is the Republican who guided the bill through nearly four hours of debate. “It protects the program for those who need it most and I would suggest to you that we are creating a safety net today that is sustainable for the long term,” Fry said. “Without creating that safety net, the benefits won’t be in existence in my children’s lifetimes.”

The Senate approved the bill three weeks ago on a party line vote. It passed the House last (Thursday) night with the support of 58 Republicans. Five other Republicans and all 36 Democrats in the House voted no.