New Laws for Iowa Fishermen and Firefighters in New Year

The Iowa Legislature passed many bills into law in its previous session and the majority of them went into effect in July or immediately.

But about four new laws went into effect Jan. 1 and two of the laws going into effect Jan. 1 will affect a wider audience than the others.

One new law allows volunteer firefighters to claim an income tax credit for their efforts. The law went into effect January 2013, but people cannot claim the $50 tax credit until they file their 2013 income taxes.

Another allows fishermen the opportunity to catch fish more quickly. Licensed fishermen can now cast an additional line. The law that went into effect New Year's Day now says that each fisherman can use up to three lines instead of two. There were also some changes to the wildlife habitat fee, which you can read more about here.

Another bill cleaned up some language in a bill dealing with mechanics' liens and established a statewide construction registry and yet another repealed a law dealing with notary republics and put in a new set of laws based on a national model.