Committee hears bill to raise veteran property tax credit and expand eligibility; set aside for omnibus property tax work

Representative Brandy Pyle told the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee that House Bill 12-66 would increase the veteran property tax credit from $8,100 to $9,000 and make technical changes to extend eligibility in certain co-ownership and surviving-spouse situations.

“We're just moving the credit from 8,100 to 9,000,” Representative Brandy Pyle said, adding that the bill would let a veteran who co-owns a home with a child or parent remain eligible for the full credit and would remove “unmarried” language to allow surviving spouses who qualify for Department of Veterans Affairs dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) to claim the disabled veteran property tax credit when eligibility is determined after the veteran’s death.

Pyle said she worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs tax department to rework language from an earlier House draft to the version presented to the committee. She described the changes as technical and aimed at preserving benefits for veterans during ongoing property tax reform discussions.

No members of the public testified in opposition or neutral testimony beyond the sponsor’s remarks. Senator Rummel asked that the committee set the bill aside while lawmakers consider combining property tax changes into a single measure; the committee agreed to set the bill aside for further consideration, including potential consolidation with other property tax legislation.

Chairman Weber closed the bill’s hearing without taking a committee vote; the committee indicated it would revisit property tax measures during subsequent deliberations and at the scheduled afternoon session.

Representative Pyle said the House previously made related language changes in a prior bill (House Bill 12-12) and that the present measure is intended to ensure veterans are not inadvertently excluded from benefits during statutory revisions.