(Radio Iowa) – House Speaker Pat Grassley says House Republicans are planning to release their plan for changing Iowa’s residential property tax system this week.  “I think it’s very positive that we’re getting bills out early,” Grassley said. As you may recall, Senate Republicans and Governor Kim Reynolds released their plans last week. Reynolds says it’s way too early to predict what property tax changes might get majority support in the legislature.

“It is just tough to do and that’s why it’s not been done,” Reynolds says, “but I do believe there is a genuine interest between the legislature and the governor’s office to get something done.” The governor is proposing that property tax revenue grow no more than two percent each year, along with a property tax freeze for Iowans above the age of 64 who live in a home valued under 350-thousand dollars.

Senate Republicans propose eliminating property taxes for Iowans above the age 60 who no longer have a mortgage and own their homes — along with increasing the state’s homestead tax credit to 50 percent of a home’s value for everyone else. It includes a four percent limit on residential property tax growth. Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh predicts lawmakers will find consensus on the property tax issue this year.

“But if the goal is to really build in long-lasting property tax relief for Iowans, the Senate proposal’s going to be the one that’s going to lead the charge on it,” Klimesh said. Grassley says the House G-O-P’s approach will be easy for taxpayers to understand, but he’s not offering specifics on how it may be different from the other two proposals. “Regardless of what the details are and what they all look like, I think they’re all trying to get to the same goal,” Grassley said, “which is certainty for the taxpayer.”

Grassley made his comments during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.