The 89th Iowa General Assembly gaveled in on January 11, 2021. In 2020, the Iowa Legislature paused legislative business in mid-March due to the pandemic, and resumed legislative session to complete their budget work the first week of June. Much of the carry-over legislation from last year is already being discussed or considered during these first few days of the 2021 legislative session. With the pandemic still prevalent across Iowa and the nation, legislative business will look different as legislators try to navigate the issues and the budget process moving forward. The subcommittee and committee meetings can be viewed online on the legislative website: www.legis.iowa.gov
The IAR will continue to work on a variety of issues this legislative session, whether it is proactive legislation or continued discussion on issues that may be addressed in future legislative sessions. A few of the issues the IAR will be working on this legislative session are as follows:
- Affordable housing and workforce housing issues in conjunction with the Governor’s proposal to increase affordable housing
- Broadband expansion for Iowa homeowner’s and underserved areas in Iowa
- Eliminating the cap on the State Housing Trust Fund to allow more of the Real Estate Transfer Tax monies to go toward housing
- Real estate license law/code review to ensure that laws apply equally to all licensees
- Reduce residential building costs by reviewing legislative mandates on new construction
- Ongoing discussions regarding Homeowners Association fees and potential State regulation
- Land bank legislation
- Potential legislation addressing County government website and public information pertaining to Assessors and Recorders
As always, the IAR Legislative Committee will monitor and discuss any legislation dealing with private property rights, homeownership, housing, real estate transaction, and license laws. Please contact us if you have questions, comments or concerns as we navigate the 2021 Legislative Session. Thank you for all you do as REALTORS!
Jen Kingland, IAR Lobbyist
Photo: Tony Fischer - Flickr.com