Senate votes to restore assistance to military families, expand senior tax break

OLYMPIA – Many military members and their families could see their public assistance restored, and seniors and disabled retirees would receive a tax break on larger properties, under two measures passed today by the Senate.

Both bills passed the Senate unanimously and now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“These measures help people for whom every penny counts,” said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, who sponsored the bills. “This will help them keep their homes and keep food on their tables.”

Senate Bill 6336 directs the Department of Social and Human Services to seek a federal waiver to allow it to exclude housing vouchers or allowances when determining eligibility for food stamps and maternity support for military members. In the past, the housing allowance was processed by the Department of Defense and was automatically deducted before paychecks were issued. Since the housing was privatized, however, the allowance has been administered through the state Department of Social and Human Services and appears on financial statements, showing a higher rate of pay that disqualifies many members from public assistance even though they make no more money then they did before.

“This has had a huge impact on military families, especially those with young children,” said Haugen, whose district includes the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. “This will restore their benefits.”

Senate Bill 6338 eases property taxes on seniors and other retirees in rural areas where zoning ordinances bar them from subdividing properties of five or fewer acres. This bill extends the current property tax exemption for one-acre properties to up to five acres for land that cannot be subdivided.

“In some areas, property values have grown so rapidly that a homeowner’s additional acres are worth more than the home itself,” Haugen said. “This will go a long way toward solving problems for people who are really, truly being taxed out of their homes.”

The exemption applies to anyone who:

• is 61 years old or older in the year of application, or is retired due to disability, or is a veteran of the United States armed forces with a 100 percent service-connected disability; and
• has a disposable income of $35,000 or less.

Return to Sen. Haugen's home page