Vander Linden – Capitol News Update February 16, 2012‏

Rep. Guy Vander Linden (R-Oskaloosa)

House Republicans Pass Historic Property Tax Reform and Relief

House File 2274, the only property tax proposal which delivers significant tax relief and genuine reform
to all classes of Iowa’s property tax payers, passed the Iowa House on Tuesday. This will be the fourth property tax reform proposal the House has sent to the Senate for their consideration.

Iowa currently has the 2nd highest commercial property taxes and the 16th highest residential property taxes in the country. Over the last ten years, school property tax collections have increased 60 percent, counties have increased
64 percent, and cities have gone up 74 percent. Over the same time period, Iowans’ personal income only grew by
46 percent. If nothing is done, Iowa taxpayers will face a $2.5 billion property tax increase over the next 10 years, with the majority of that falling to homeowners.

The House Republican plan highlights the following :

• ALL Iowans receive tax relief with no burden shifting to any one class of property
• Job creators receive a $602 million property tax cut
• Homeowners receive a $417 million property tax cut
• Republicans’ proposal offers a total of $1.2 billion in relief for Iowa property taxpayers

In contrast, the plan proposed by Senate Democrats results in a $2.5 billion property tax increase, with $1.69 billion of carried by homeowners. According to public polling, Iowans favor broad based property tax relief proposal, similar to the Republican plan, by a 2 to 1 margin over a targeted tax credit plan, similar to the Democrat plan.

Trees for Kids Grant Application for Spring 2012 Now Online

Trees for Kids and Trees for Teens are tree education and planting programs targeted to Iowa’s elementary and secondary school students. The goal of these programs is to educate students about the value of trees and to encourage tree planting projects at schools and other public areas around the state.

The competitive grants awards range from $1,000 and $5,000 for qualified tree planting projects on publicly owned property. All trees for the spring grant must be planted by May 31, 2012.

For more information, visit: www.iowadnr.gov/Education/ForTeachers/EducationTrainingPrograms/Trees for KidsTeens.aspx

Utilities Board Set Hearings for Public Input on Electricity Rates

In the first rate increase for MidAmerican customers in 16 years, MidAmerican Energy Company is seeking a
3-4 percent increase in electricity rates and is expected to file for that increase in the next few weeks. In preparation for this request, the Iowa Utilities Board has set up 6 meetings around the state to take input from MidAmerican customers. The dates and locations are:
February 23, 2012 – DES MOINES – Utilities Board Building, Hearing Room, 1375 E. Court Avenue February 28, 2012 – DAVENPORT – Modern Woodmen Park, Suites 10 & 11, 209 S. Gaines Street March 1, 2012 – WATERLOO – Petersen Town Hall, Waterloo Center for the Arts, 225 Commercial Street March 6, 2012 – SIOUX CITY – Briar Cliff University, 3303 Rebecca Street, Stark Student Center, Clare Room March 8, 2012 – IOWA CITY – Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4261 Oak Crest Hill Road SE, Montgomery Hall March 13, 2012 – COUNCIL BLUFFS – Council Bluffs Public Library, Rooms A & B, 400 Willow Avenue

Mental Health Redesign Bills Start Moving in the House

The House Human Resources Committee has begun work on legislation that will redesign Iowa’s mental health and disability services system.

House Study Bill 623 is the product of the DHS/Judicial Branch work group that has been in existence for several years. In 2011, the group was tasked with addressing a number of issues related to the interaction of law enforcement, the Judicial Branch, and the mental health system. The group put together a series of recommendations ranging from on-going mental health and disability services training for law enforcement officers, the ability of residential care facilities to determine whether or not to accept people referred to them by the court, and clearing up conflicts within the Code on which mental health professionals may be involved in the commitment process.

The change that may have the most immediate impact within the bill is a change to all pre-assessment screening for all individuals considered for commitment. The screening is usually done at a local health care facility, like a hospital or mental health center. Under current law, this screening is only allowed when the clerk of court office is closed. This means a person going through the commitment process during work hours may have to go to one of the four mental health institutes before anyone assesses their current condition and service needs. Allowing the pre-commitment screening at any time will help reduce the number of long trips that sheriff departments must take to the MHI’s or psychiatric units.

House Study Bill 624 strikes references in the Code to “mental retardation” and replaces that term with “intellectual disability.

The final bill, which is expected to be released on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, will be the main redesign bill. It will track many of the recommend- ations proposed by the Department of Human Services. These include:
• Transforming the management structure for mental health services from a county-based system to regions;
• Changing the basis for determining financial responsibility from the rule of legal settlement to a determination of residency; and
• Establishing core services that will be available throughout the entire state.

One new element in this bill is the issue of future funding for the system. Under the language passed in Senate File 209 last year, the current mental health levy is phased out at the end of FY 2013. The statewide amount generated by the current levy is $125 million. The House study bill will call for a four year phase out to begin in FY 2014, with the state providing dollar for dollar property tax relief