|
 Because veterans with a severe service-connected disability rated
at 50 percent or higher by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
may have an impaired ability to work or have lost their ability to
work altogether, they may be living on fixed incomes and are more
susceptible to the rising cost of consumer goods and changes in
property taxes.
"As the wars abroad continue, we sorrowfully watch many of these
brave men and women fighting on our behalf as they return to our
country with severe injuries. They've given so much to protect our
freedom that we should do everything we can to help them live
productive and stable lives when they return home. For those
veterans who have suffered service-related injuries which have left
them severely disabled, I am pleased that this legislation will
ensure that they will not lose their homes because they cannot pay
their rising property taxes," Blagojevich said.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs uses a rating system
based on an official finding that links the veteran's disability or
illness with the period of a veteran's military service. The
severity of the veteran's disability dictates what percent the
disability rating will be. For example, a veteran who suffered a leg
amputation just above the knee would have a 60 percent disability
rating from the VA, while a veteran with a leg amputation just below
the knee would have a 40 percent rating. And with the advances in
medical technology, more veterans are surviving devastating combat
wounds and coming home from the current conflicts with severe
injuries.
A veteran rated at 50 percent disability and above has suffered a
range of service-connected injuries, from memory and hearing
impairment with regular attacks of vertigo, to loss of limbs or
total occupational and social impairment. This severe disability
means their ability to earn a living is impaired and they are often
on a fixed income.
The amount of property taxes paid in Illinois has increased over
31 percent in the last five years, and 64 percent over the last 10
years. In this difficult housing market, where more than 90,000
Illinoisans filed foreclosure last year, veterans who have severe
service-connected disability have earned additional protections.
"When our veterans answered the call to duty, they left their
homes, their families and their entire lives behind for the
betterment of this country. Those who were injured during their
service and made it home deserve to be honored and respected. But
most importantly, they deserve the very best benefits that this
nation can give them. After all, they are the ones who have allowed
us Americans to be free and own our own homes," said Illinois
Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth.
[to top of second column]
 |
 This new legislation would expand the disabled veterans' standard
homestead exemption, which was passed by the General Assembly in
2007. That exemption provided a reduction in a property's equalized
assessed valuation to a qualifying property owned by a veteran with
a service-connected disability certified by the U. S. Department of
Veterans Affairs. A $2,500 homestead exemption is available to a
veteran with a service-connected disability of at least 50 percent
but less than 75 percent, and a $5,000 homestead exemption is
available to a veteran with a service-connected disability of at
least 75 percent.
The amendatory veto of
House Bill 4201 extends a tax increment
financing district in the village of Downs from 23 to 35 years.
The governor was joined on the Illinois State Fair Veterans' Day
by more than 200 veterans and their families, including U.S. Army
veteran Gordon Brenner, who served in Vietnam for eight months
before he was wounded in the upper right thigh by an AK-47 round. He
now serves as a national service officer for the Military Order of
the Purple Heart in Illinois.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to pay bills with the cost
of living being so high right now," said Brenner. "A lot of our
veterans are just barely able to get by and remain living in their
own homes. Having no property taxes to pay will really help me and
other veterans who were wounded serving this country."
For this amended
legislation to become law, both houses of the General Assembly will
need to vote to accept the changes. First, the House sponsor must
file a motion to accept the amendatory veto, and then the House has
15 days to accept the amendatory veto by a simple majority. If the
House fails to act, the improvements to the legislation, and the
original bill, will die. If the House accepts the amendatory veto,
the Senate will need to repeat the process in their chamber. Once
the General Assembly has accepted the amendatory veto, the law will
be effective Jan. 1, 2009.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
 |
