Proposed Iowa Water and Land Legacy Amendment on ballot in November

Iowa Water and Land Legacy Amendment

When you go to the polls in November, you will find various proposed amendments and other state propositions. One of these proposed amendments call the Iowa Water and Land Legacy Amendment. According to their website, the purpose of the amendment is to “create a dedicated trust fund for the purposes of protecting and enhancing water quality and natural areas in the State.” The areas that this will go to help will include state parks, trails, fish and wild game habitats as wells as preserving agriculture soils in the state.

By voting yes for this, you are not voting for a tax increase. The purpose is to create a fund from which money will be put into. The money that will be put into this trust will come from the sales tax. If approved, 3/8 of one cent from sales tax revenue will go into this fund the next time the state legislature approves an increase in the sales tax.  The website also stresses that the legislature will not be able to “raid” these funds. The fund that will be created is a permanent account that can’t be dipped into by the state legislature.

As expected, there is strong opposition to this proposed amendment. Those who are against this amendment cite how the fund will get money. They also cite the fact that the money for the fund can only come in after the state legislature raises the sales tax. According to them, that means that we will have to have an increase in taxes in order for this to be funded.

Below we have included the exact wording from the amendment as well as the exact wording that you will see on the ballot in November.

Shall the following amendment to the Constitution be adopted?

Summary: Adopts Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy Amendment which creates a dedicated trust fund for the purposes of protecting and enhancing water quality and natural areas in the State including parks, trails, and fish and wildlife habitat, and conserving agricultural soils in this State.

Full Text: Article VII of the Constitution of the State of Iowa is amended by adding the following new section:

NATURAL RESOURCES. SEC. 10. A natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund is created within the treasury for the purposes of protecting and enhancing water quality and natural areas in this State including parks, trails, and fish and wildlife habitat, and conserving agricultural soils in this State. Moneys in the fund shall be exclusively appropriated by law for these purposes.

The general assembly shall provide by law for the implementation of this section, including by providing for the administration of the fund and at least annual audits of the fund.

Except as otherwise provided in this section, the fund shall be annually credited with an amount equal to the amount generated by a sales tax rate of three-eighths of one percent as may be imposed upon the retail sales price of tangible personal property and the furnishing of enumerated services sold in this State.

No revenue shall be credited to the fund until the tax rate for the sales tax imposed upon the retail sales price of tangible personal property and the furnishing of enumerated services sold in this state in effect on the effective date of this section is increased. After such an increased tax rate becomes effective, an amount equal to the amount generated by the increase in the tax rate shall be annually credited to the fund, not to exceed an amount equal to the amount generated by a tax rate of three-eighths of one percent imposed upon the retail sales price of tangible personal property and the furnishing of enumerated services sold in this State.

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