Two separate bills in the California Senate aim to provide partial property tax exemptions for disabled veterans. (Photo: Alex Proimos)
On April 7, the California Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee approved two separate bills that expand property tax exemptions for disabled veterans.
The first, Senate Bill SB-1073, was introduced by Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, and promises partial property tax exemptions for the principal residence owned by a partially disabled veteran. Under the current law, only veterans who have lost two or more limbs, are blind, or are fully disabled because of a service-related injury are eligible for property tax reductions.
Under SB-1073, property tax exemptions for disabled veterans would be equal to their disability rating. For example, a veteran with a disability rating of 50 percent would be eligible for 50 percent of the current property tax exemption for disabled veterans.
Additionally, the California Senate committee advanced Senate Bill SB-1357, which was introduced by Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera. This bill would grant veterans who have a 100 percent disability rating a full property tax exemption for their principal residence. Alternatively, veterans who are fully blind or have lost two or more limbs, but do not have a 100 percent disability rating would receive a partial property tax exemption.
As it stands now, partial property tax exemptions under SB-1357 are calculated by multiplying the veteran’s disability rating percentage by $700,000. If, for example, the veteran had a 50 percent disability rating, their exemption would be $350,000.
Both bills have been resubmitted to the California Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee for further debate. As they have competing proposals, it is expected that the committee will have to consolidate provisions proposed in both bills before one of the two can advance further in the legislature.
Readers can click here to see a complete overview of veterans bills in the California legislature.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.