VFW WI Legislative Updates

Dear Thomas:

Now that the 2007-2008 regular session has ended, I am providing you with an update regarding Assembly Bill 365 (AB 365) relating to: expanding eligibility for the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit.  Regrettably, AB 365 failed to pass the Legislature this session. Why did the Legislative leadership not support AB 365? 

AB 365 would have expanded eligibility for the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit to include veterans who have a 100 percent disability rating based on individual unemployability, as determined by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and removed the age 65 requirement. This failure to not include disabled veterans rated unemployable and those not yet 65 years old is a slap in the face, we have so many younger disabled military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan that would have benefited.  Why is it that when it comes to helping our disabled veterans this Legislature could not find the funding?

AB 365 was introduced on May 29, 2007 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.  The Committee held a public hearing on AB 365 on June 13, 2007.  The Committee passed AB 365 by an 8-0 vote on June 28, 2007.  AB 365 was then referred to the Joint Finance Committee.  The Legislature took no further action on AB 365.

Related legislation, Senate Bill 101 (SB 101) and Assembly 292 (AB 292) would have removed the age 65 requirement.   Also under this related legislation, a veteran, or the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran, would have been eligible to claim the credit if the veteran had been a resident of this state for any consecutive 10-year period after entry into active duty service. This is yet another failure on the part of our elected members of the WI Legislature.  I know veterans that have lived in WI for twenty or more years, paid WI taxes and because they did not enlist in WI they are being left out, why? Like AB 365, these bills passed their respective Committees but then did not advance past the Joint Finance Committee and failed to pass. Please provide all the names of those members of the Joint Finance Committee along with their Email addresses and telephone numbers.  What will it take to get them to recognize the fact that we as a Nation at war and because of this war many of our young men and women are coming home to Wisconsin wounded, maimed for life both physically and mentally and in many cases unable to obtain employment because of their combat service connected disabilities.

Below are links to the bill history for each bill, which detail the movement of each bill through the Legislature.

AB 365

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/AB365hst.html

SB 101/AB 292

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/SB101hst.html

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/AB292hst.html

Thank you for contacting me on this issue.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions that you may have.

Sincerely,

CAROL ROESSLER

State Senator

18th Senate District

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen18/news/

1-888-736-8720