Today, Iowa House Republicans released House Study Bill 596, their own property tax proposal for consideration during the 2026 Legislative Session. Ways and Means Chairman Carter Nordman (R-Dallas Center) will lead the bill through the Iowa House.
“I’m proud to introduce this property tax proposal that finally puts the taxpayers first,” Nordman said. “For too long the property tax system has put certainty for government budgets over certainty for family budgets, and with this proposal, House Republicans are flipping that script.”
The components of the bill include:
- Cap revenue growth at 2% plus new construction, ensuring that cities and counties are still incentivized to grow. This component includes exceptions for schools and the debt levy.
- Delivers immediate relief to every homeowner by creating a new $25,000 exemption. Every residential property will not be taxed on the first $25,000 of the assessed value of their home.
- Revamps the informational mailer sent to every property taxpayer to increase transparency and give taxpayers a better idea of where their money is going and what it funds.
- Requires bonds payable with property taxes to receive a 60% affirmative vote.
- Requires Councils of Government (COGs) to help local governments find efficiencies and cut waste.
One of the differences in this proposal from the others is the exemption on the first $25,000 of the assessed value of every residential property. Nordman highlighted the impact of this component.
“By creating this exemption for every residential property, we are delivering immediate tax relief to every single homeowner in Iowa,” Nordman said. “This means every senior citizen on fixed income, every young couple buying their starter home, and every middle class family working hard for their children – will all see relief.”
Speaker Pat Grassley shared his enthusiasm for the proposed plan.
“With this proposal, we accomplish the goals we set out to achieve on property taxes this session – a plan that prioritizes the taxpayer over the taxing entity and is simple enough for homeowners to understand,” Grassley said. “I think the very fact that you’ve seen House Republicans, Senate Republicans and the Governor all come to the table with our own proposals shows how determined we all are to deliver property tax relief this session.”
A subcommittee meeting on House Study Bill 596 has not yet been scheduled.
The above article was a press release issued by the Iowa House Republicans
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