Relating to state services and benefits provided to disabled veterans, making penalties applicable, and making appropriations

This bill relates to state services and benefits provided to veterans. DIVISION I —— 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 division exempts veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 100 percent as certified by the United States department of veterans affairs 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. The division also exempts veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 100 percent from paying a title fee and provides that the department of transportation may waive any administrative fee related to vehicle ownership for such a veteran. DIVISION II —— DISABLED VETERAN PROPERTY TAX CREDIT. This division creates a property tax credit for certain veterans.1 (veterans affairs), is a resident of Iowa, and has a service-connected disability rating of 100 percent as certified by the United States department of veterans affairs. The division allows a qualifying veteran a credit on a qualifying veteran’s primary residence. The amount of the credit on a property is equal to the property tax owed on the property. 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 division makes confidential the list of the names and addresses of individuals allowed a credit under the division and maintained by the county recorder, county treasurer, county assessor, city assessor, or other government body. The division 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. _____ by confinement for no more than 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 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.