We have no Action Items today

                                                                             Issues 

                  Click on the underlined titles below: 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends – don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources.

.                                                     That’s it for today- Thanks for your continuing help!

SB 1248 is a Strike Everything (S/E) Bill that now includes the text of Senator Gail Griffin’s SB 1444 that failed to get a scheduled hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee last month after receiving a 4-3-0-0 vote in the Senate Finance Committee. SB1248 S/E: ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’ will increase the income tax exemption for Military Retirees from the current $2,500 to $12,500 in 2019, to $25,000 in 2020 and to full exemption beginning in 2022. This will be an incentive for military retirees to choose Arizona as the place to retire and begin their new careers. The Governor has said that he wants Arizona to be the Friendliest State in the Nation to the Military. This bill is a good Start!  While this Bill addresses reducing and eventually eliminating state income tax for Military Retirees it will, in part, be replaced with sales tax for new cars and homes, property taxes on homes, and other entities that they will spend their retirement and new career earnings on.

SB 1248 S/E is scheduled for a hearing in House Hearing Room 3 on 6 March.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Representatives ASAP and encourage their support for SB 1248 S/E.

When you are ready to send your message, open a New Email as you would usually do to send a message. Then copy and paste the Draft Message below and paste it as the text of your New Email. Edit it if desired. Then add your name after the word ‘Respectfully’ at the end of your new message. Don’t include your address as that might tend to cause the Representative or his/her staff to delete your message before they read it  if you are not a constituent.

Then type  “ SB 1248: income tax exemption: military retirement  ” as the subject of your New Email

Then come back to this posting and copy one of the lists of House of Representative Members list shown below and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Message

Then then hit SEND to send your Email

Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

House of Representatives addresses with comas:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],  [email protected],

Arizona Senate Email addresses with Semi-colons:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Senate Addresses With Commas:                                                                                                             

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

                                               Draft Message

———————————————————————————————————

Dear State Representative,

As an Arizona Veteran, I urge you to Co-Sponsor and/or support Senator Gail Griffin’s SB 1248 Strike Everything Bill that will be a major step in making Arizona the most Military Friendly State in the Nation!  It will increase  the income tax exemption for Military retirees over the years and eventually eliminate all Military Retirement pay from taxation by the State of Arizona. This proposal will draw middle-aged Military Retirees to Arizona. These retirees have proven records, have diverse skills, are well-educated, and will be a huge asset to Arizona if we can incentivize them to make this their home. Please join Senator Griffin in supporting and urging your colleagues to support SB 1248 S/E Bill ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’.

Respectfully,

  We have two Action Items today at the 3^rd issue and at the end of the 4^th issue below

                                                                       Issues 

                  Click on the underlined titles below: 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends – don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources.

.                                  That’s it for today- Thanks for your continuing help!

SB 1443: ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’ is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Appropriation Committee at 2 PM on 21 February. It would establish the Arizona Veterans’ Donation fund as an Arizona Tax Credit organization in lieu of continuing the  Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF) as an Arizona Tax Credit organization. The MFRF, established as an Arizona Tax Credit organization in 2007 to assist post 1/9/11 veterans, is scheduled to end in 2018. Of the approximately 9 million dollars donated to date, over 6 million dollars have been unused. SB 1443 would extend the time for disposition of currently unused funds to post 9/11/2001 Veterans and their families to 31 Dec 2025. Any unused funds as of 31 Dec 2025 would be transferred for deposit in the Veterans’ Donation Fund as originally planned at the end of 2018. This extension of time will “maintain faith” with those Arizona taxpayers who specifically donated for the purposes of assisting post 9-11 veterans and their families. Concurrently, the Bill would establish the current Veterans’ Donation fund as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization for the period 1 Jan 2018 to 31 Dec 2025 to augment its current source of resources to assist Arizona Veterans of all eras and their families, including post 9-11 Veterans

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Senate Appropriations Committee members ASAP

                    Guidance for processing and sending your Email(s).

When you are ready to forward the Message at the end of this text to all State Senate Appropriations Committee members:

Copy the Draft  Message at the end of this posting. Then open a New Email as you would usually do to send a message. Then paste what you copied below as the text of your New Email. Edit it if desired. Then add your name after the word ‘Respectfully’ at the end of your new message.

Then type  “ SB 1443: veterans’ donation fund: tax credit  ” as the subject of your New Email

Then come back to this posting and copy one of the lists of Senate Appropriations Committee Members shown below and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Message

Then then hit SEND to send your Email

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Senate Appropriations Committee:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];; [email protected]; [email protected];  

Senate Appropriations Committee members:                                                                                                                        

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],                     

                                          Draft Message

Dear Senator,

As an Arizona Veteran, I encourage you to support SB 1443: ‘veterans’ donation fund; tax credit’ in the Senate Appropiations Committee hearing. The Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF), established as an Arizona Tax Credit organization established in 2007 to assist post 1/9/11 veterans, is scheduled to end in 2018. Of the approximately 9 million dollars donated to date, over 6 million dollars have been unused. SB 1443 would extend the time for disposition of currently unused funds to post 9/11/2001 Veterans and their families to 31 Dec 2025. Any unused funds as of 31 Dec 2025 would be transferred for deposit in the Veteran’s Donation Fund as originally planned at the end of 2018. This extension of time will “maintain faith” with those Arizona taxpayers who specifically donated for the purposes of assisting post 9-11 veterans and their families. Concurrently, the Bill would dis-establish the MFRF as a Tax Credit organization and establish the current Veterans’ Donation fund as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization for the period 1 Jan 2018 to 31 Dec 2025 to augment its current source of resources to assist Arizona Veterans of all eras and their families, including post 9-11 Veterans.

I urge you to support SB 1443 in committee.

Respectfully,

                                              We have no Action Items today

                                                                         Issues 

                  Click on the underlined titles below: 

MOAA OUTLINES THE FUTURE OF MILITARY HEALTH CARE

Modernizing health care takes an army

MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins, USAF (Ret), represented military health care beneficiaries with key players in a panel discussion.

NEW VA SECRETARY HITS THE GROUND RUNNING

New SecVA confirmed and sworn in

Secretary David Shulkin assumes the reins none too soon, ready to tackle major issues facing the VA.

TOP 10 UNMET NEEDS FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS

COLA WATCH

COLA Pops in January

2017 begins with the cost of living index trending upward.

MOAA STAFFER HONORED

Hill Vets top 100 announced

MOAA’s Director of Military Family Policy and Spouse Programs, Brooke Goldberg, was recognized for her excellence in advocacy for veterans, service members and supporters.

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends – don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources.

.                      That’s it for today- Thanks for your continuing help!

SB 1444: ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’ is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee at 0900 on 15 February. It would increase the income tax exemption for Military retirees from the current $2,500 to $12,500 in 2018, to $25,000 in 2019, and to complete exemption beginning in 2022. It would be an incentive for retirees to choose Arizona as the place to retire and begin their new careers.  While this Bill addresses reducing state income tax for Military Retirees it will, in part, be replaced with sales tax for the cars, property taxes on homes and so on that they will spend their money on.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Senator Finance Committee members ASAP

When you are ready to send the Message at the end of this text to the 7 members of the Senate Finance Committee members, copy the Draft Message at the end of this update and paste it as the text of a new Email the way you usually prepare to send an Email, and add your name after “Respectfully”. If you are not a Veteran, delete ‘As an Arizona Veteran,’ at the beginning of the text.

Then come back here and copy: ‘ SB 1444: Income Tax Subtraction; Military Retirement ‘ and paste it  as the subject of your new Email.

Then come back here and copy one of the group of Email addresses of the Senate Finance Committee members shown below and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Email

Then hit Send to send your new Email

Arizona Senate Finance Committee Member Email Addresses with Semi-colons:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

Senate Finance Committee Member Email Addresses With Commas:                                                                                                              

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

                                  Draft Message

Dear Senator,

As an Arizona Veteran, I encourage you to support SB 1444: ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’ in the Senate Finance Committee hearing.

SB 1444 will make Arizona an even more ‘One of the Most Military Friendly States in the Nation’.  It will increase  the income tax exemption for Military retirees over the years and eventually eliminate all Military Retirement pay from taxation by the State of Arizona. This proposal will draw 40ish year old Military Retirees to Arizona. These retirees have proven records, have diverse skills, are well-educated, and will be a huge asset to Arizona if we can incentivize them to make this their home. While this proposal will reduce state income tax paid by Military retirees, that will in part be replaced with sales tax for the cars, sales taxes and property taxes on homes, and other things that they will spend their retirement and second career pay on.

I urge you to support SB 1444 in the Senate Finance Committee.

Respectfully,