District 12 Senator Amy Sinclair

A bill reforming property taxes was introduced to Iowa lawmakers in the House and Senate during the eighth week of the current legislative session.

Senator for District 12 Amy Sinclair says that the bills are in the Ways and Means Committees meaning that they are immune from the funnel system which is how legislators whittle down the number of bills that they look at during the session.

“And so we’ll be starting that process of how we move forward with that bill. (We) look forward to any input. We’ve got Ways and Means (Committee) Chairs in both the House and the Senate who are working on that bill. Senator Dan Dawson and Representative Bobby Kaufman. They’ve dedicated a lot of time to this bill and they’d like to hear from folks on if the bill works, how it moves forward, (and) what changes might need to be made. They want to hear from cities, counties, and school districts.”

Sinclair mentions that ultimately, the bill should provide over $400 million in property tax relief to the residents of Iowa. She adds that state legislators will be working with local governments to make sure services are still provided, but that there is also some transparency.