Capitol Notebook: Iowans to receive TurboTax lawsuit settlement payments

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced Thursday that Iowa will receive more than $1 million for 35,000 Iowans who unnecessarily paid for tax services from TurboTax.

The funds are part of a $141 million settlement with TurboTax's parent company, Intuit, who was accused of deceptively pushing consumers to pay for tax-filing services that should have been done for free.

Iowans who paid to file their federal tax returns with TurboTax between 2016 and 2018 but were eligible for free filing through the IRS are eligible for the payments. Iowans will not need to file a claim and will be receiving their checks in the mail for around $30 for each year they were misled, according to Bird's office.

“Tax season is already stressful enough for many Iowans,” Bird said in a news release. “No Iowan struggling to make ends meet should have to fear being taken advantage of by deceptive business practices when filing their taxes. Thanks to the bipartisan coalition of all 51 AG’s, hard-working Iowans are being repaid the money they are owed.”

The settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting, contacted eligible Iowans by email. Iowans who have not received their check by mid-June should reach out to Bird's office, the release said.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia joined the lawsuit. More information can be found at AGTurboTaxSettlement.com

Reynolds announces rural health center grants

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on Thursday up to $1.5 million in grant funding to bolster rural health care.

The grants, sourced from federal dollars, are intended to create "centers of excellence," health systems or collaborations that provide specialty care in a region. Priority will be given to applicants that propose to serve a large number of rural residents.

“Centers of Excellence serve as coordinated systems of care, delivering primary care locally with regional hubs that provide specialty services to surrounding counties to meet the health care needs of the community," Reynolds said in a news release.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services plans to award two $750,000 grants to health systems in the state.

Secretary of state awards schools for voter drives

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate recognized 19 Iowa schools with the Carrie Chapman Catt Award, given to schools that register at least 90 percent of their eligible students to vote.

The 19 schools include Ballard High School in Huxley, Harlan High School, Lone Tree High School, and Norwalk High School.

Nine additional schools were recognized for registering at least 70 percent of their eligible students, and another 10 schools for registering at least 50 percent of their eligible students.

More than 2,600 high school students registered this year as part of the statewide initiative, which began in 2019. The award is named after Carrie Chapman Catt, an Iowa native and women's suffrage activist who campaigned for the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Human Rights Department to host community forum

The Iowa Department of Human Rights is hosting a "Building Bridges" community forum with the purpose of building connections between Africans and African-Americans of African descent.

The forum will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 19 at Des Moines Area Community College, according to a release from the department. People can also listen virtually at bit.ly/BuildingBridgesVideo

The event is free and open to the public, and will include "thought provoking discussion of issues" and a moderated community forum, according to the release.