House committee backs 50% homeowner property‑tax exemption; members spar over backfill, services and long‑term consequences

The House spent large portions of the Feb. 12 floor in Committee of the Whole debating Senate File 69, a Senate bill proposing a 50% homeowner property‑tax exemption (engrossed version included a $1,000,000 cap on exemptable value). The bill prompted sustained argument over how to backfill lost local revenue, whether the measure would force service cuts for fire, law enforcement and other local governments, and whether the change should be more targeted.

Provisions before the chamber

The engrossed Senate file proposed a two‑year 50% exemption on residential property tax up to a cap (engrossed text included a $1,000,000 home‑value cap in the version the House debated). Sponsors noted the measure mirrors relief sought by voters and proponents of ballot initiatives pending statewide signature drives.

The House’s Committee of the Whole heard a series of proposed amendments intended to reconcile the exemption with local revenue impacts. Representative Grainger offered an amendment to align this House’s response with earlier House proposals; Representative Bair (chair of the Committee of the Whole) introduced an amendment recommending an explicit…