Constitutional amendment; property tax exemption for certain veterans. (SB31)

Introduced By

Sen. Toddy Puller (D-Mount Vernon) with support from 12 copatrons, whose average partisan position is:

Those copatrons are Del. Harvey Morgan (R-Gloucester), Del. Albert Pollard (D-Lively), Del. Lacey Putney (I-Bedford), Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-Manassas), Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), Sen. John Edwards (D-Roanoke), Sen. Robert Hurt (R-Chatham), Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax), Sen. Fred Quayle (R-Suffolk), Sen. Roscoe Reynolds (D-Martinsville), Sen. Richard Stuart (R-Westmoreland), Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Winchester)


Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law


Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); property tax exemptions.  Provides for a referendum at the November 2, 2010, election to approve or reject an amendment requiring the General Assembly to provide a real property tax exemption for the principal residence of a veteran, or his or her surviving spouse, if the veteran has a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability. Read the Bill »


Bill Has Passed


01/04/2010Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/10 10100229D
01/04/2010Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
01/14/2010Impact statement from DPB (SB31)
01/25/2010Assigned to P&E sub: Constitutional Amendments, Reapportionment, Referenda
01/26/2010Reported from Privileges and Elections (13-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/28/2010Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/29/2010Read second time and engrossed
02/01/2010Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/08/2010Placed on Calendar
02/08/2010Read first time
02/08/2010Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
02/16/2010Assigned P & E sub: #1 Constitutional
02/22/2010Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 0-N)
02/26/2010Reported from Privileges and Elections (20-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
03/01/2010Read second time
03/02/2010Read third time
03/02/2010Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)
03/02/2010VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (99-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
03/10/2010Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB31ER)
03/10/2010Signed by Speaker
03/12/2010Signed by President
03/18/2010Impact statement from DPB (SB31ER)
04/11/2010G Approved by Governor-Chapter 588 (effective 7/1/10)
04/11/2010G Approved by Governor-Chapter 588 (effective - see bill)
04/11/2010G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0588)

Duplicate Bills

The following bills are identical to this one: HB149 and HB1270.


Waldo Jaquith writes:

I'm confused. This is a bill. If the bill passes, then it will put something on the ballot for people to vote on. If that passes, then it will require the legislature to vote on something. And if that passes, then the legislature will prohibit localities from collecting taxes from disabled veterans?

This seems like a really, really convoluted system to establish a simple thing. Do localities currently have the power to do this? If not, why not just give them the power and skip this whole referendum business? If they do, then they can go ahead and waive property taxes for disabled veterans if they want to, right? Why does the legislature have anything to do with this?

Juan Villar writes:

Waldo - This isn't just a bill, it is a constitional amendment. The system of getting this passed is, admittedly, more convoluted than the passage of a bill, but it makes the passage much more "permanent" if you will. Localities still have the option of exempting 100% service connected veterans from paying property tax, if they so chose.

Waldo Jaquith writes:

Well, sure, you could put any bill in the constitution and it would be more permanent, but that just makes the constitution a dumping ground for things like this. Just pass a bill giving localities the power to cut property taxes for veterans if they want to and be done with it. Instead, this process will take years with that process adding no benefit whatsoever.

And, really, who's going to be the legislator who will introduce the bill in a few years that requires localities to increase property taxes for disabled veterans?