Family preparedness is Thursday’s focus of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa, and it may be more cost-friendly to purchase preparedness items pending a bill in consideration by the state legislature.

House File 2563 is on the Ways and Means Calendar. It would add Sunday to the current sales tax holiday weekend in August and would include emergency supplies under $100 except for generators and other specified items which qualify if the sales price does not exceed $5,000. Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen is optimistic that the bill will become law, making a difference for those wanting to purchase items like a generator, “The big thing is that there are some big ticket items that are expensive and when you’ve got an item like that it’s a significant impact with the taxes that are added onto it. So if we can cut that price for somebody who may not otherwise be able to afford it, then that’s great.”

A fiscal note released this week by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates that the amount of sales tax exempted during the current sales tax holiday in fiscal year 2023 will be $4.7 million. Alabama and Texas also have these sales tax holidays. For more information on family preparedness visit here.