HOUSE CONTINUES ITS WORK ON LEGISLATION FOR VETERANS FUNDING
On Wednesday the Iowa House approved an increase in veterans funding
that will aid the education of military members and will offer
increased support for veterans returning home.
The veteran’s provision, contained within the Health and Human
Services budget bill,
HF 2734, appropriates more than $500,000 from the state’s
general fund and provides 6.5 full-time employees for salaries,
support, maintenance and miscellaneous purposes – which includes the
war orphans educational fund.
We have offered unprecedented support for our brave military
members this year, which is important for our veterans returning
home. I’m pleased we took this action in our continuing support of
our heroes.
The House’s action follows a number of bills geared toward veterans
this year, including the formation of the House Veterans Affairs
Committee, an increase in funding for the veterans homebuyer program
and the creation of the injured-veterans program.
House Passes Two TouchPlay Bills
Tuesday the House passed two TouchPlay bills. Below is a
description of those bills and the related record roll call votes.
SF
2330 – TouchPlay Ban Bill – The bill does the following: Strikes
the ability of the Lottery to authorize monitor vending
machines/TouchPlay machines. Defines monitor vending
machines/TouchPlay machines. Establishes an excise of tax of 65% on
those monitor-vending machines in place 45 days after the effective
date of the bill. This is on top of the Lottery’s allocation, as
required by contracts, which is 24% in FY 06 and 27% in FY 07. In
effect, the state’s total tax is 89% in FY 06 and 92% in FY 07.
This same section also gives the director of the Department of
Revenue the powers to collect the tax. Provides operators 45 days
following the effective date of the bill to remove the machines from
public use. Sets the effective date upon enactment. The Governor
announced that he will sign
SF 2330 as soon as possible.
The second TouchPlay bill,
HF 2747 – TouchPlay Effective Date Extension Bill – This bill
states that that TouchPlay machines may be in place until September
1, 2006. If they are in affect after September 1, all other taxes
apply.
Ways
& Means Update
Bills passed out of
committee this week:
HSB 770- An Act relating to prohibiting monitor vending machines
and providing an effective date.
SF 2330- An act prohibiting monitor vending machines and
providing and excise tax and an effective date.
HF 2568- An Act providing for the retention of fees by licensing
boards, and the bureau of radiological health, under the purview of
the Iowa department of public health, providing for the
non-transferability of specified fees, and providing effective
dates.
HF 2735- An Act relating to the formulation of motor fuel, by
providing for renewable fuel including ethanol blended fuel and
bio-diesel blended fuel, providing incentives for infrastructure
used to store and dispense renewable fuel, providing for income tax
credits and excise taxes, providing for penalties, and providing
effective and applicability dates, including retroactive
applicability.
HF 2081- An Act relating to eligibility for the military service
property tax credit and exemption and including effective and
applicability date provisions.
HF 2606- An Act relating to debt management, mortgage bankers
and brokers, delayed deposit services, regulated loans, and
industrial loans, and providing for fees and penalties.
HF 2688- An Act relating to the issuance of permits to carry
weapons.
HF 2494- An Act relating to the practices and procedures of the
department of corrections and the judicial district departments of
correctional services, including increasing the penalty for sexual
misconduct by an officer, employee, or agent of the department of
corrections or a judicial district department of correctional
services, and providing for a fee.
Week
in Review Archives