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House committee approves amended bill creating 'sustenance' farm and new forest tax classes
Summary
The House Taxation Committee passed House Bill 27, twice amended, creating a sustenance-use land class for parcels under 640 acres and adding a nonproductive forest land classification with new valuation and tax rates; final committee vote was 11–10.
The House Taxation Committee voted to pass House Bill 27 as twice amended, approving layered changes that create a new classification for small subsistence farms and add a separate nonproductive forest land class.
Megan Moore, staff to the bill, described the sustenance-use amendment as targeting "parcels, contiguous parcels of land of less than 640 acres that are actively devoted to sustenance use," and said the amendment limits surplus income to "$500 of annual gross income from surplus production." She also summarized appraisal and valuation adjustments that would value the acre beneath a residential improvement at an agricultural productive value while valuing the residence at market value.
Moore also explained the amendment that establishes a nonproductive forest land classification and corresponding tax rate, saying it pulls in statutory references for class 10 property and directs valuation "at the statewide average productive value of forest land" and sets a tax rate equal to "three times" the current forest rate (three times 0.37 under the amendment as explained to the committee).
Representative Marler expressed appreciation for the work on the bill but said he was not comfortable supporting it in its current form. After debate, the committee conducted a roll-call vote and the bill passed in committee 11 to 10.
The committee recorded proxy votes during amendment consideration; the clerk announced each voice-vote/amendment tally before proceeding. The committee will report the bill as passed out of committee; next steps are placement on the House calendar for further consideration by the full House.
