Bill
HF 433
Authorizes an Iowa NWTF license plate with a $25 fee; proceeds fund DNR grants for wild turkey habitat conservation and hunting initiatives.
Overview
- Purpose: Authorize a National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) special license plate in Iowa, set a related fee structure, and direct the collected funds to wildlife habitat conservation and hunting initiatives through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The bill would also appropriate the revenues and establish administrative arrangements for annual grants.
- Status: Committee report approving bill; renumbered as HF 797.
- Introduction and Process: Introduced February 17, 2025. Subcommittee recommended passage (3/4/2025). Committee recommended passage (3/4/2025) with a Yeas 21 – Nays 0 vote. Full committee report dated 3/5/2025. Primary sponsor: Nordman.
Key Provisions
- New license plates (Section 321.34, NEW SUBSECTION 11E)
- Eligibility: Owners of motor vehicles subject to registration (standard categories such as automobile, autocycle, motor truck, home, multipurpose vehicle, motorcycle, trailer, or travel trailer) may apply for NWTF plates upon payment of the required fees.
- Design: Plates would be designed by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in cooperation with the Iowa chapter of the NWTF.
- Fees:
- Special NWTF plate fee for letter-number designated plates: $25.
- Personalized NWTF plates: In addition to the $25 special fee, applicants may pay the standard personalized-plate fee (per subsection 5, not shown in full in the bill excerpt) for customized plates.
- Revenue handling: Fees collected under this subsection are paid monthly to the Treasurer of State and deposited into the Road Use Tax Fund.
- Transfers and use of funds: The Treasurer shall monthly transfer from the statutory allocations fund (per section 321.145, subsection 2) to the General Fund the amount of the special NWTF fees collected in the prior month. The funds appropriated from this program are dedicated to DNR for grants to support wild turkey habitat conservation and hunting in Iowa.
Funding, Grants, and Priorities
- Administrative funding flow: Special NWTF fees are deposited into the Road Use Tax Fund; a monthly transfer from the statutory allocations fund ensures the General Fund is credited with the prior month’s NWTF fee revenue.
- Use of funds: The Department of Natural Resources must distribute the money as grants to support wild turkey habitat conservation and hunting in Iowa.
- Priority considerations: In awarding grants, DNR must give first consideration to:
- State NWTF chapters or similar nonprofit organizations supporting wild turkey habitat conservation and improvement,
- Efforts to increase the number of hunters in Iowa, and
- Similar nonprofit organizations.
- Notable provision: Funds appropriated under this subsection do not revert (i.e., they are not subject to lapse back to the general fund).
Who would be affected
- Vehicle owners: Those who choose to obtain the NWTF license plate (including personalized plate options) would pay the associated fees.
- DNR and the state treasurer: Responsible for collection, deposit, transfers, and administration of grant funds.
- Wildlife and hunters: Potential benefits from grants aimed at wild turkey habitat conservation and efforts to grow hunting participation in the state.
- NWTF and related nonprofits: Eligible recipients and beneficiaries of grant funding.
Timeline and Procedural Details
- Introduction: February 17, 2025.
- Subcommittee: February 25, 2025 (Wengryn, Barker, Judge).
- Subcommittee meeting: March 4, 2025 (noted for passage).
- Committee actions: March 4, 2025 (passage recommendation; Yeas 21–Nays 0); March 5, 2025 (committee report approving bill and renumbering to HF 797).
Notes
- The bill text references personalized plate provisions in subsection 5 (not fully shown here) for the exact personalized-plate process and fees.
- The “Notwithstanding section 8.33” clause indicates that the dedicated NWTF funds are not subject to automatic statutory lapse.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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