Branstad signs 10 bills into law

DES MOINES - Gov. Terry Branstad signed 10 bills into law Friday, including legislation intended to update and simplify Iowa's social and charitable gambling regulations.

Senate File 482 is intended to remove out-of-date restrictions, reflect new technology, modernize reporting and bring various state-enforced regulations for fundraising activities, such as bingo and raffles, under one unified section.

Among the changes included in the bill were increases in prize thresholds from $100 to $250 for bingo games offered by religious, fraternal or charitable groups as well as an allowance for up to 15 bingo occasions per month. The proposed legislation also would create four classes of existing raffles that cover very small raffles of less than $1,000 in value all the way up to $200,000, with no license requirement for raffles less than $1,000 in value.

Before sending the bill to the governor, lawmakers removed a provision that would have allowed organizations offering charitable gambling to accept credit cards as a form of payment. As approved, the bill provides that amusement devices, movable amusement concessions and social gambling would continue to be limited to cash payments, while organizations offering charitable gambling would be allowed to accept cash, checks and debit cards as payment - but not credit cards.

Also Friday, Branstad signed House File 637, a fiscal 2016 state budget bill that appropriates $365.2 million to the state Department of Transportation, including $49.9 million from the Road Use Tax Fund, $315.3 million from the primary road fund and $181.6 million for DOT operations and 2,872 full-time employees.

Branstad also signed:

' House File 229, an act relating to the regulation of free offers and buying club memberships;

' House File 630, an act appropriating federal funds made available from federal block grants and other non-state sources;

' House File 622, an act relating to certain fees charged in connection with vehicle rental agreements and making penalties applicable;

' House File 638, an act concerning the reporting and payment of wine gallonage sales and taxes;

' House File 646, an act relating to the use of revenues resulting from the physical plant and equipment levy and including applicability provisions;

' House File 634, an act providing for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's administration of certain functions;

' Senate File 366, an act relating to the re-examination and recalculation of disability retirement benefits for beneficiaries under the public safety peace officers' retirement, accident and disability system; and

' Senate File 488, an act relating to air quality, by providing for the establishment, imposition, and collection of fees, the creation of administration of funds and programs, making appropriations and including effective date provisions.