Iowans that were impacted by last month’s floods have access to state and federal funding through disaster declarations and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds.

However, there is additional funding that both federal and state lawmakers are trying to make accessible for Iowans as well. U.S. Senator Charles Grassley says he supports the Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019, along with Senator Joni Ernst and others, to provide federal funding for those impacted by the flooding, along with the wildfires in California, agricultural disasters in the southeastern portion of the country, and providing additional aid to Puerto Rico.

Grassley says Senate Democrats are holding up the bill for additional funding to help Puerto Rico, which he says will happen so the bill can be passed. However, he notes there are two other aspects that need to be included, one being grain bins that were destroyed by the floods.

“And I’ve been assured we’ll get language in this bill for the grain (bins). And then the other thing is, we don’t have a sound figure of how much damage there is yet in Iowa. So when this $13.5 billion bill is on the President’s desk with language that Iowa and Nebraska is going to be covered, there’s probably not enough money to cover that. Or if there’s some money leftover to cover that, then we’ll have to plug in some more money down the road.”

Meanwhile at the Iowa Legislature, District 24 Senator Jerry Behn says Governor Kim Reynolds has requested $15 million for the current fiscal year and $10 million for the next fiscal year for workforce housing tax credits to assist Iowans with housing improvements in flooded areas. Behn says the funding is ready to go for those amounts.

“So the $15 million for fiscal year ‘19 should available for this fiscal year and the $10 million for 2020. That should be available without further legislative action.”

Behn adds that Reynolds also issued Executive Order #4 which establishes a Flood Recovery Advisory Board. The group is responsible for coordinating a comprehensive recovery and rebuilding effort.