(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a wide-ranging bill into law that cuts personal income taxes, gradually gets rid of the state inheritance tax and erases a property tax levy used to finance mental health services. State money is to be used to finance the mental health system. “Health care professionals and patients who rely on Iowa’s mental health system deserve this sustainability and predictability this funding source will provide,” the governor says.

Reynolds says she’ll recommend MORE personal income tax cuts in 2022. The legislation was a compromise brokered by Governor Reynolds with the Iowa House and Senate to wrap up the 2021 Legislative Session.

SF 619 provides significant tax relief to hardworking Iowans:   

• SF 619 drops tax rate from 8.53% to 6.5%  
  • Reduces the number of tax brackets from 9 to 4  
  • Eliminates Federal Deductibility  
• Phases out the mental health levy over 2 years, saving property taxpayers over $100 million
• Phases out state inheritance tax over 4 years, saving taxpayers nearly $100 million
• Expands eligibility for the Beginning Farmers Tax Credit
• Food Bank sales tax exemption

SF 619 invests in mental health and foundational priorities like child care and housing:  

• Dedicated, sustainable mental health funding from Iowa’s General Fund
  • Includes a growth factor that allocates new money as revenue increases

• Increases eligibility for the Child Care Tax Credits from families making $45k – $90k
• Increases workforce housing tax credits to $40 million for FY22 ($35 million for years following)
• Extends Brownfield/Grayfield and increases funding from $10 million to $15 million
• Develops a Manufacturing 4.0 strategic roadmap for the future of manufacturing in the state of Iowa

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in the state’s most heavily populated county has approved a lottery with thousands of dollars in prizes to try and lure more residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Polk County leaders say their goal is to get 75 percent of the county’s eligible population vaccinated by the end of the State Fair on August 22nd.
Supervisor Tom Hockensmith said he supports the program. “In order to reach herd immunity, I think we’re gonna have to do things like this to really encourage folks and set folks to, to get vaccinated,” Hockensmith says.

The county will host lottery drawings for all fully vaccinated residents on every Friday starting next week. Ten prizes of one-thousand dollars will be given out weekly. One prize of 50-thousand dollars and a five-thousand-dollar scholarship will be given out every other week. The governor says the state won’t be doing any sort of vaccine lottery — but Polk County Supervisor Robert Brownell thinks it could work for Polk County. “It’ll help drive vaccinations and it’ll help drive our vaccination numbers. And once we can get past this thing, then things really can get back to normal,” Brownell says.

Polk County residents can go to the website immunizepolk.org to register for the vaccine lottery.

(Walnut) – One of the organizers of this Father’s Day weekend’s 38^th Annual Walnut AMVETs Antique Show says approximately 350 vendors from 21 states will be on hand to display and sell their antiques and older collectibles. The event takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Gene Larsen, with the Walnut AMVETs, said the first time the event was held, it started out small, with about 20 or 30 dealers, but then it quickly began to grow each year.

The huge number of vendors, according to Larsen, take up about 15 city blocks over the weekend, in Walnut, in addition to three big halls for displays.

Larsen essentially runs the show, as administrator. He says they make sure vendors have quality items for sale before they are allowed to set up in their display area.

Gene Larsen says people are shocked at the amount and variety of antiques they’ll find.

The event has been featured in almost every antiques-related magazine and newspapers in the country has featured the Walnut AMVETS show. One antiques magazine even rated it in their Top 10 Antiques Travel Destinations in the world.

In addition to antiques, there will be plenty of food vendors. Admission to and parking for the event, are free. The show runs from 8-a.m. to 5-p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report a Nevada (Iowa) woman, 31-year-old Danielle Tiffany Dutton, was charged with four counts of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.  The charges against Dutton stem from an investigation which began in January 2020.  Criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau allege Dutton made false statements to insurance companies involving multiple electronic devices in an attempt to receive insurance benefits she was not entitled to. On June 9, 2021, Dutton was charged and released with a promise to appear.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.