Rep. TOM CAMPBELL (R-Roy)
2nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia office: 334 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Office: (360) 786-7912

For immediate release: Jan 16, 2008

House unanimously passed disabled veterans' tax exemption bill

Olympia -- The House took a very important step for disabled veterans today when legislators passed a bill to give veterans with a100-percent service-connected disability property tax relief now enjoyed in Washington state by senior citizens. Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Roy), who sponsored Substitute House Bill 1102, succeeded in getting it to be the first bill to pass the House in the 2008 session of the Legislature. The unanimous vote was 96-0.

"My bill seeks to extend property tax exemptions to veterans who were injured in the defense of our country," Campbell said. "It will raise the bar on the combined disposable income for eligibile veterans up to $70,000 and also will clarify in state law that disability income from the federal government will no longer be considered as income in our state."

Campbell said, with the surge in home values over the last decade in our state, increased property taxes are forcing some low-income people out of their homes. "This bill will give disabled veterans the same exemption status that all senior citizens now receive in our state."

The bill now goes to the Senate where Campbell is hoping for equally quick action. Last year, the House passed Campbell's Veterans' bill, but in the Senate, he said, it 'fell through the cracks' in the final hours of session. Had it been brought up for a vote, Campbell said he believes it would have passed. "I’m confident the Senate will follow the lead of the House this year and pass this important legislation into law quickly."

The 2008 Legislative session will run for 60 days, adjourning on March 13..

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Contact: Rep. Tom Campbell at (360) 786-7912 or campbell.tom@leg.wa.gov