New Jersey SCR 128: Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of annual veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $1,250.

Bill Text

(Sponsorship Updated As Of: 11/27/2023)
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION No. 128

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES W. HOLZAPFEL
District 10 (Ocean)
Senator ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)

Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Gopal, Zwicker and O'Scanlon

SYNOPSIS
Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of annual veterans’
property tax deduction from $250 to $1,250.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.

SCR128 HOLZAPFEL, A.M.BUCCO
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EXPLANATION – Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is
not enacted and is intended to be omitted in the law.

Matter underlined thus is new matter.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION proposing to amend Article VIII, 1
Section I, paragraph 3 of the Constitution of the State of New 2
Jersey. 3
4
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the 5
General Assembly concurring): 6
7
1. The following proposed amendment to the Constitution of the 8
State of New Jersey is hereby agreed to: 9
10
PROPOSED AMENDMENT 11
12
Amend Article VIII, Section I, paragraph 3 to read as follows: 13
3. a. Any citizen and resident of this State now or hereafter 14
honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances 15
from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United 16
States shall be entitled, annually to a deduction from the amount of 17
any tax bill for taxes on real and personal property, or both, 18
including taxes attributable to a residential unit held by a 19
stockholder in a cooperative or mutual housing corporation in the 20
sum of $250 in each tax year through 2023, or if the amount of any 21
such tax bill shall be less than $250, to a cancellation thereof. In 22
2024, and in each tax year thereafter, the amount of the deduction 23
shall be $1,250. If the amount of any such tax bill in 2024, or in 24
any year thereafter, shall be less than $1,250, the tax bill shall be 25
canceled. The deduction or cancellation shall not be altered or 26
repealed. Any person hereinabove described who has been or shall 27
be declared by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or 28
its successor, to have a service-connected disability, shall be 29
entitled to such further deduction from taxation as from time to time 30
may be provided by law. The surviving spouse of any citizen and 31
resident of this State who has met or shall meet his or her death on 32
active duty in any such service shall be entitled, during her 33
widowhood or his widowerhood, as the case may be, and while a 34
resident of this State, to the deduction or cancellation in this 35
subsection provided for honorably discharged veterans and to such 36
further deduction as from time to time may be provided by law. 37
The surviving spouse of any citizen and resident of this State who 38
has had or shall hereafter have active service in any branch of the 39
Armed Forces of the United States and who died or shall die while 40
on active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United 41
States, or who has been or may hereafter be honorably discharged 42
or released under honorable circumstances from active service in 43
any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be 44
entitled, during her widowhood or his widowerhood, as the case 45

SCR128 HOLZAPFEL, A.M.BUCCO
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may be, and while a resident of this State, to the deduction or 1
cancellation in this subsection provided for honorably discharged 2
veterans and to such further deductions as from time to time may be 3
provided by law. 4
b. A continuing care retirement community shall receive a 5
veterans' property tax deduction on behalf of eligible veterans. The 6
amount of the property tax deduction shall be the dollar amount of 7
the deduction multiplied by the number of eligible veterans 8
receiving the property tax deduction immediately prior to moving 9
into the continuing care retirement community. A person otherwise 10
eligible for the veterans' deduction who is a resident of a continuing 11
care retirement community shall receive the amount of the 12
deduction to the extent of the share of the taxes assessed against the 13
real property of the continuing care retirement community that is 14
attributable to the unit that the resident occupies. The continuing 15
care retirement community shall provide that amount as a payment 16
or credit to the resident. That payment or credit shall be made to 17
the resident no later than 30 days after the continuing care 18
retirement community receives the property tax bill on which the 19
credit appears. A veterans' property tax deduction shall not be paid 20
on behalf of any eligible veteran who resides in a continuing care 21
retirement community that is property tax-exempt. A resident 22
receiving a payment or credit pursuant to this subsection shall not 23
receive a veterans' property tax deduction on any other residence 24
owned in whole or in part by the resident, or any residence in