Bill > HF469

Introduced Session

This bill relates to state services and benefits provided to veterans. DIVISION I —— VETERANS PREFERENCE —— STATE GRANTS. This division requires a state agency to give preference to a veteran over another applicant of similar qualifications for the award of a grant that is overseen, implemented, or funded by the state. DIVISION II —— VETERAN PREFERENCE —— PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. This division requires the state to provide veterans who are citizens and residents of the United States a preference for assistance programs including but not limited to public assistance, the family investment program, the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, the state child care assistance program, and the United States department of housing and urban development housing choice voucher program. DIVISION III —— BUSINESS FEE WAIVERS. BACKGROUND (BUSINESS ENTITIES). A business entity is a general term for an association formed to conduct business under several types of organizational structures recognized by law (e.g., partnership and limited partnership, business and nonprofit corporation, limited liability company, and cooperative). Generally, a business entity may be formed as a domestic business entity in its home state or as a foreign business entity doing business in a state although it was formed in another home state. In Iowa, a business entity is governed under its own dedicated Code chapter, often based on model legislation with fee amounts reserved for decision by the enacting body. In Iowa, like most states, a business entity is under the general authority of the secretary of state (secretary). SUMMARY. This division provides that a qualified business entity that requests and receives a military service filing fee waiver (waiver) from the secretary is not required to submit a fee for filing a number of select documents. The division specifies qualifications for a business entity, eligibility for the filer of a select document, and the names of select documents having fees waived, subject to further requirements that the secretary may adopt by rule. STATUTORY ORGANIZATION. The division amends Code chapter 9 establishing the secretary’s office. Specifically, it enacts new provisions in subchapter II of that Code chapter which currently includes provisions authorizing extra filing services. It also amends various Code chapters each of which governs a specific type of business entity. The division amends the principal Code section in each such Code chapter that includes a laundry list of fees for filing documents. IN DETAIL —— QUALIFIED BUSINESS ENTITIES. First, in order to receive a waiver, the business entity must be qualified, meaning that the waiver is limited to a domestic or foreign limited partnership (Code chapter 488); domestic or foreign limited liability company (Code chapter 489); domestic or foreign business corporation (Code chapter 490); and domestic or foreign nonprofit corporation (Code chapter 504). IN DETAIL —— ELIGIBLE FILERS. Second, an individual acting on behalf of the qualified business entity must meet eligibility criteria. The individual must sign the document; must be an interest holder in the qualified business entity; and must be serving in the United States armed forces, the national guard or organized reserves, the United States coast guard, or the civil air patrol, or alternatively must be a veteran. IN DETAIL —— SELECT DOCUMENTS FOR FILING. Third, the filed document must be selected to receive the waiver. A select document may include those associated with the business entity’s organization, name, registered agent or registered office, domestication or conversion, merger, dissolution or reinstatement, foreign registration, correction, validation, biennial report, or other document required or permitted to be filed. The amount of the fee ranges from $5 to $100. EFFECTIVE DATE. This division takes effect January 1, 2026. DIVISION IV —— SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER PROGRAMS —— MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY SERVICES. This division requires each facility licensed under Code chapter 125 (substance use disorders) that maintains a wait list for care, maintenance, or treatment of persons with a substance use disorder to place a veteran on the wait list in a position that allows the veteran priority for acceptance into the treatment program before any person on the wait list who is not a veteran, but after each veteran currently on the wait list. The division requires each service provider operating through the mental health and disability services regional service system that maintains a wait list for mental health or disability services to place a veteran on the wait list in a position that allows the veteran to receive the services before any person on the wait list who is not a veteran, but after each veteran currently on the wait list. DIVISION V —— WAIVER OF UNDERGRADUATE TUITION AND MANDATORY FEES. This division requires the state board of regents to adopt rules that waive undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees for veterans, or a dependent of the veteran, while the veteran or dependent is enrolled in an institution of higher education under the board’s control, if the veteran was a resident of this state immediately prior to joining the armed forces of the United States, was discharged under honorable conditions, and resides in this state immediately prior to applying to enroll, or prior to the dependent applying to enroll, in the institution. The division provides that the rules shall not waive an amount of tuition and mandatory fees that exceeds the difference between the combined amount of tuition and mandatory fees charged by the institution less any federal financial aid award the veteran or dependent receives. The division defines “dependent” to mean the spouse or child of a veteran. The division defines “veteran” by reference to Code section 35.1. DIVISION VI —— DRIVER’S LICENSE —— VETERAN STATUS —— FEES. This division of the bill relates to driver’s licenses issued to veterans. Current law requires the department of transportation (DOT) to mark a driver’s license with the word “VETERAN” if the applicant is a qualifying veteran. Under Code section 321.189, a licensee must be an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the United States to qualify for a veteran status license. The DOT has adopted administrative rules defining “veteran” for purposes of licensees requesting a veteran status license (761 IAC 605.5(7)(e)). The bill strikes certain existing service qualifications and instead references the definition of “veteran” provided in Code section 35.1. Under current law, the DOT is prohibited from charging a fee to issue a noncommercial driver’s license or license valid for motorcycles to an applicant who is a veteran with a permanent service-connected disability rating of 100 percent, as certified by the United States department of veterans affairs. The bill prohibits the DOT from charging a fee to issue a noncommercial driver’s license ($4 per year of validity), license for chauffeurs ($8 per year of validity), commercial driver’s license ($8 per year of license validity), or license valid for motorcycles (an additional fee of $2 per year of validity) to a veteran, as defined in Code section 35.1. DIVISION VII —— VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES —— VETERANS EXEMPT. This division of the bill relates to registration fees for vehicles owned by veterans. Current law exempts seriously disabled veterans who have been provided with an automobile or other vehicle by the United States government from paying motor vehicle registration fees. The bill exempts all other veterans who reside in Iowa from paying annual vehicle registration fees for not more than three vehicles registered by the veteran, and provides for one free set of regular registration plates for each vehicle. In lieu of the set of regular registration plates available without fee, a veteran may obtain a set of special registration plates or personalized registration plates by paying the additional fees associated with those plates under current law. Under current law, several special registration plates relating to service in the armed forces are available at no charge to eligible persons. DIVISION VIII —— DISABLED VETERANS PROPERTY TAX CREDIT. This division creates a property tax credit for certain veterans. The division defines “qualifying veteran” as a person who meets the definition of a veteran under Code section 35.1 (veterans affairs), and has a disability rating of 20 percent or more as certified by the United States department of veterans affairs. The division allows a qualifying veteran a credit on each property that is owned solely by the qualifying veteran or jointly by the qualifying veteran and the qualifying veteran’s spouse. The amount of the credit on a property is equal to the property tax owed on the property multiplied by the disability rating given to the qualifying veteran as certified by the United States department of veterans affairs, up to a maximum reduction of $10,000 per property. The division allows the credit to continue until the later to occur between the qualifying veteran’s death and the earlier to occur between the qualifying veteran’s surviving spouse’s death or remarriage. Except upon a county veterans service officer’s request for the purposes of providing information on benefits and services available to veterans and their families, the bill makes confidential the list of the names and addresses of individuals allowed a credit under the bill and maintained by the county recorder, county treasurer, county assessor, city assessor, or other government body. The bill prohibits this information from being disseminated to any person unless otherwise ordered by a court or released by the lawful custodian of the records pursuant to state or federal law. The county recorder, county treasurer, county assessor, city assessor, or other government body responsible for maintaining the names and addresses of individuals allowed a credit may display the credit on individual paper records and individual electronic records, including display on an internet site. The division requires the department of revenue, the department of administrative services, county auditors, county treasurers, and assessors to administer the disabled veteran tax credit in a manner similar to the military service tax credit and exemptions in Code chapter 426A. The division makes any person who makes a false affidavit for the purpose of obtaining the disabled veteran tax credit or who knowingly receives the credit without being legally entitled to the credit guilty of a fraudulent practice. A fraudulent practice is punishable based on the amount of value involved, and may range from a simple misdemeanor punishable by confinement for no more than 30 days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855, to a class “C” felony punishable by confinement for no more than 10 years and a fine of at least $1,370 but not more than $13,660. The division appropriates from the general fund of the state amounts necessary to fund the disabled veteran tax credit. DIVISION IX —— DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES —— LICENSES AND FEES. This division prohibits the department of natural resources from requiring a veteran to pay a fee for camping and using rental facilities at state parks and recreation areas. A veteran who applies to register a vessel for use in Iowa waters shall not be assessed a fee to receive the registration certificate. A veteran applying for any hunting, fur harvester, or fishing license is not required to pay the license fee nor the wildlife habitat fee, if applicable. A veteran who was disabled or was a prisoner of war shall not be assessed a fee in applying for a lifetime fishing license and a lifetime hunting and fishing combined license. A veteran may also obtain a lifetime trout fishing license without paying a fee if the veteran is at least 65 years of age or qualifies for the disabled veteran homestead credit, and the department of natural resources shall not require any veteran to pay a trout fishing fee. The department of veteran affairs shall assist the department of natural resources in verifying the status and claims of the veterans applying for recreational privileges for which fees are generally required. DIVISION X —— CIVIL LITIGATION BY VETERANS. This division of the bill requires a court to, when able, grant a veteran bringing a civil action or appeal priority over other actions brought by other persons. DIVISION XI —— PERMIT TO CARRY WEAPONS FEES. This division exempts a veteran who has a service-connected disability from paying a fee for a permit to carry weapons. An initial permit has a fee of $50 and a renewal permit or duplicate permit has a fee of $25.

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Matthew Rinker (R)*, 

Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 912. (on 03/11/2025)

Official Document