Making California More
Affordable for
DISABLED VETERANS
Thursday,
May 23, 2019,
in Sacramento,
California____ The State Senate has passed a package of Bills authored by
Senator Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga), both aimed at providing financial
relief to California’s Disabled Veterans.
“When Veterans return home, they should have every
chance to find favorable working and living conditions, especially when their
physical abilities have been impacted by their time in the service,” said
Morrell.
“As costs continue to rise in California, property
taxes should be the least of their concerns and they should also be able to
pursue the best employment opportunities available.”
J.R. Wilson, President of Delta Veterans Group (left);
and Cornelious Ronald Aarts of Disabled American Veterans of California
(right).
SB 500 would increase
higher education opportunities for this community by creating a program
through the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) that extends
housing and tuition assistance to Disabled Veterans pursuing graduate-level
college degrees. Many Veterans are often unable to perform the same jobs they
had in the Armed Services, due to disabilities. SB
500 will ensure they can stand out in a competitive job market.
SB 562 would help disabled
veterans keep up with California’s high cost of living by increasing the
current basic property tax exemption for this group. The median home price in
California is approximately $540,000. Property taxes for a home this value
exceed more than $5,000 per year.
Morrell
is also a co-author of SB 663, which would exempt Veteran’s
service organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American
Legion from property taxes on their properties that are used in the service of
Veterans.
The
Senate Bills unanimously passed the Senate and will next be considered in the
State Assembly.
EDITOR’S
NOTE – We take the privilege to capitalize the name Veterans as another way to honor them.
E
T Russell