Category Archives: National Legislative Updates

*State Veterans Legislative Update 22 March 2017: SB 1208 S/E: income tax subtraction; military retirement

Action is needed to get Arizona SB 1444: ‘income tax subtraction; military retirement’, now SB 1208 Strike Everything (S/E) Bill, to the House and Senate for a vote. It has been amended slightly because of current fiscal constraints. It would increase the tax exemption for Military retirees from the current $2,500 to $12,5000 in 2019 and to $25,000 in 2020 as an incentive for them to choose Arizona as the place to retire and begin their new careers. We will look to expanding that to the original full exemption next year.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Legislators ASAP TODAY to encourage their support for moving this Bill to committee and a final House and Senate vote.

When you are ready to forward the Message at the end of this text to all State Legislators:

Copy everything beginning with this paragraph and the instructions that follow, the lists of Arizona House of Representatives and Senate Email addresses, and the Draft Message that is shown below the list of Email addresses.

Then open a New Email on your computer as you usually do and paste what you just copied including these instructions as the text of that New Email. Then add your name at the ‘X’ after ‘Respectfully’. Don’t include your address as some legislators may delete your Email if they see the address is not in the area of their constituency. Then copy ” SB 1208 S/E: income tax subtraction: military retirement ” here and paste it as the subject of your New Email.

Then copy the list of Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons Email Addresses from the text of your new Email and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Email. Be careful not to hit Send until after you complete the next step in this process!!!!!

NOTE: After completing the next step, come back to this link and repeat this whole process using the State Senators Email List

Then delete everything before “Dear State Representative” in your New Message, and review what’s left to see that it just includes the Message that you want to send and you signature. Change the font and font size of the text if desired. Then you can hit SEND.

Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons:

House of Representatives addresses with comas:

Arizona Senate Email addresses with Semi-colons:

Senate Addresses With Commas:

Draft Message

Dear State Legislator,

As an Arizona Veteran, I encourage you to support Senator Griffin’s Strike Everything (S/E) Bill SB 1208 (S/E): ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’. It will increase the income tax exemption for Military retirees from the current $2,500 to to $12,500 in 2019 and to $25,000 in 2020. This action will draw 38 to 42 year old and other Military Retirees to Arizona. They are already trained and experienced in fields that Arizona needs and will follow second professions that will benefit Arizona. Many will become teacher, professors, engineers, law enforcement officers, high tech, and even nurses and doctors, and other professions that Arizona needs.

These retirees have proven records, diverse skills, are well-educated, and will be a huge asset to Arizona if we can incentivize them to make this their home. And their working spouses will be taxed. They will buy homes, vehicles, computers, TVs, washing machines, and other high value personal property that are taxed. They bring their own healthcare so they take nothing from the State, but they give, give, and give to Arizona. They volunteer in Boys and Girl Clubs, schools and other activities and serve on City and County commissions. They give of themselves as active community members. Who best do we want to attract to Arizona, that other States are trying to attract, but our heroes who fought for our freedoms with the type of character that other States are trying to attract

SB 1208 S/E is an Economic Development Bill that will make Arizona an even more ‘One of the Most Military Friendly States in the Nation’. Please urge your colleagues to support SB 1208 S/E: ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’, and do what you can get it through the 23 March House Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee vote and on to the House and Senate for final votes and to the Governor for signature during this Legislative Session

Respectfully,

*State Veterans Legislative Update 21 March 2017: SB 1203 (S/E): ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’

Action is needed to get Arizona SB 1443: ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’, now SB 1203 Strike Everything (S/E) Bill to the House and Senate for a vote. It would establish the current Veterans’ Donation Fund (VDF) as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization for the period 1 Jan 2018 to 31 Dec 2025 to augment its current source of funding to benefit Arizona Veterans of all eras including post 9/11/2001 (9-11) Veterans who are now served by the Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF). The Bill would terminate tax credit donations to the MFRF at the end of 2017, a year earlier than currently scheduled, but would extend the time for disposition of unused funds at the end of 2017 to post 9-11 Veterans through 31 Dec 2025. The MFRF currently has over $6 million in unused funds of the approximately $9 million dollars in donations received over the past 9 plus years. Any unused funds as of 31 Dec 2025 would be transferred to the Veteran’s Donation Fund as originally planned for the MFRF program in 2018. This extension of time to dispose of remaining MFRF funds will “maintain faith” with those Arizona taxpayers who specifically donated for the purposes of assisting post 9-11 Veterans and their families, and it will encourage accomplishing this by 2025. Concurrently, establishing the current Veterans’ Donation fund as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization will benefit Veterans of all eras through at least 2025.

SB 1203 S/E is scheduled to receive a vote on 23 March in the House Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and be passed to the full House and Senate for final votes this Legislative Session.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Representatives and Senators ASAP to encourage their support for this Bill

When you are ready to send the Draft Message at the end of this Legislative Update to all State Representatives, copy everything beginning with this paragraph and the instructions that follow, the list of Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses, and the Draft Message that is shown below the list of Email addresses.

Then open a New Email on your computer as you usually do and paste what you just copied including these instructions as the text of that New Email. Then add your name at the ‘X’ after ‘Respectfully’. Don’t include your address as some legislators may delete your Email if they see the address is not in the area of their constituency. Then copy ” SB 1203 S/E: veterans’ donation fund: tax credit ” here and paste it as the subject of your New Email.

NOTE: After completing the next step, Return to this link and repeat the process using the Arizona Senate Email addresses with Semi-colons.

Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons:

House of Representatives addresses with comas:

Arizona Senate Email addresses with Semi-colons:

Senate Addresses With Commas:

Draft Message

Dear State Legislator,

As an Arizona Veteran, I encourage you to support the intent Senator Griffin’s original Senate Bill SB 1443: ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’. It is now engrossed in Strike Everything (S/E) Bill SB 1203. This S/E Bill, as was the case with SB 1443, would establish the current Veterans’ Donation Fund (VDF) as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization for the period 1 Jan 2018 through at least 31 Dec 2025 to augment its current sources of resources for financially assisting Arizona Veterans of all eras of service and their families, including post 9/11/2001 (9-11) Veterans who are now served by the Military Family Relief Funds (MFRF). It would cap annual donations at one million dollars, as has been the case for the MFRF over the past 9 plus years. And it would extend the time for use of the some $6-million dollars of currently unused MFRF funds to post 9-11 Veterans and their families through at least 31 Dec 2025.

Please urge your colleagues to support SB 1203 S/E and do what you can to get it through the 23 March House Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee vote and on to a full House and Senate vote and to the Governor for signature ASAP during this Legislative Session.

Respectfully,

*State Veterans Legislative Update 19 March 2017: HB 2496 S/E: ‘consumer access line of credit’

HB 2496 is a Strike Everything (S/E) Bill that, if approved, will again introduce predatory lending to Arizona. See details in the Draft Message at the end of this Email.

We as very concerned Arizona citizens need to do what we can to prevent this from happening.

HB 2496 S/E is scheduled for a hearing in House Hearing Room 109 on 21 March.

Please consider sending the Draft Message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Senators ASAP and encourage their opposition to HB 2496 S/E.

When you are ready to send the Draft Message at the end of this Legislative Update to all State Representatives, copy everything beginning with this paragraph and the instructions that follow, the list of Arizona Senate Email addresses, and the Draft Message that is shown below the list of Email addresses.

Then open a New Email on your computer as you usually do and paste what you just copied including these instructions as the text of that New Email. Then add your name at the ‘X’ after ‘Respectfully’. Don’t include your address as some legislators may delete your Email if they see the address is not in the area of their constituency. Then copy HB 2496 S/E: ‘consumer access line of credit’ here and paste it as the subject of your New Email.

Then copy the list of Arizona Senate Email addresses with Semi-colons Email Addresses from the text of your new Email and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Email. Be careful not to hit Send until after you complete the next step in this process!!!!!

Then delete everything before “Dear State Senator” in your New Message, and review what’s left to see that it just includes the Message that you want to send and you signature. Change the font and font size of the text if desired. Then you can hit SEND to send your message.

Arizona Senate Email addresses with Semi-colons:

Senate Addresses with Comas:

Draft Message

Dear Senator,

Ladies and Gentlemen, as a very concerned citizen, I urge you to oppose predatory lending Proposed Senate Amendment to HB 2496 Strike Everything Bill: ‘consumer access line of credit’, and I encourage you to urge your colleagues to do the same.

It’s yet another lending industry attempt to return predatory lending back to Arizona. The Proposed Amendment is available at: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/GetDocumentPdf/451352 and starts off with 6 pages of administrative changes to A.R.S Sections 6-125 and 6-126 that accommodates a new type of loan. That is followed by addition of a 22 page long CHAPTER 18. CONSUMER ACCESS LINE OF CREDIT ARTICLE 1. It adds Sections 6-1801 through 6-1827 that detail the establishment of a new predatory loan authorization referred to as a “CALC LOAN” (Consumer Access Line of Credit Loan).

Only in Section 6-1810 on Pages 15 and 16 do they briefly mention that the lender may ‘only’ charge and collect a daily TRANSACTION FEE to ‘defray’ costs of opening, administering, and terminating a CALC Loan plan under some 8 different administrative procedures without specifying how much of the transaction fee may be used for each procedure. On Page 16, that fee is specified as a daily rate of 0.45%. That may not initially sound like very much, but when you think about it, that can amount to 164.25% annually (0.45% per day x 365 days in a year). And while they carefully mention that the TRANSACTION FEE is not interest, the out of pocket cost to the borrower is the same as interest, and you can be assured that the lender will work towards maximizing that TRANSACTION FEE on each loan.

On page 16 they briefly mention that any CALC Loan plan shall require a minimum payment on or before the due date of each billing cycle in an amount sufficient to reduce the outstanding balance by at least 8% per month. And that equates to an interest rate of at least 96% APR on a one year loan, depending upon the frequency of payments.

These predatory lending costs, whether called fees or interest are not needed in Arizona. And I again urge you to oppose the Senate Amendment to HB 2496 Strike Everything Bill: ‘consumer access line of credit’ and to urge your colleagues in the Senate and those on Senate Committees to do the same beginning with those who will be attending the 21 March Senate Appropriations Committee meeting.

Respectfully

*State Veterans Legislative Update 16 March 2017: SB 1248 Strike Everything Bill; ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement

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 on Homes and new cars and other daily purchases, property taxes on homes, etc. that they will spend their retirement and new career earnings on.

SB 1248 S/E is scheduled for a hearing in Monday, 20 March, at 1400 in the House office building, hearing room #3.

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 the Message at the end of this text to all State Representatives: copy everything beginning with this paragraph and the instructions in the following paragraphs, the lists of Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses, and the Draft Message that is shown below the lists of Email addresses.

Then open a New Email on your computer as you usually do and paste what you just copied including these instructions as the text of that New Email. Then add your name at the ‘X’ after ‘Respectfully’ in your New Email. Don’t include your address as some legislators may delete your Email if they see the address is not in the area of their constituency. Then copy ” SB 1248 Strike Everything Bill : income tax subtraction: military retirement ” here and paste it as the subject of your New Email.

Then copy the list of Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons: Email Addresses from the text of your new Email and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Email. Be careful not to hit Send until after you complete the next step in this process!!!!!

Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons:

House of Representatives addresses with comas:

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 achieving the Governor’s desire to make 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 provide a financial incentive for middle-aged Military Retirees to retire in Arizona. These retirees have proven records, have diverse skills, are well-educated, and will be a huge asset to Arizona if we can help them decide to make this their home. And the cost to implement will be significantly offset by sales taxes on new homes, cars and other day to day spending, property taxes, etc. that they will spend their retirement and new career earnings on. Please join Senator Griffin in supporting and urging your colleagues to support SB 1248 S/E Bill ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement’ in forthcoming House hearings.

Respectfully,

*State Veterans Legislative Update 11 March 2017: SB 1443 ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’

Action is needed to get Arizona SB 1443 ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’ to the House for a vote. It 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 funding to benefit Arizona Veterans of all eras including post 9/11/2001 (9-11) Veterans who are now served by the Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF). The Bill would terminate tax credit donations to the MFRF at the end of 2017, a year earlier than currently scheduled, but would extend the time for disposition of unused funds at the end of 2017 to post 9-11 Veterans to 31 Dec 2025. The MFRF currently has over $6 million of the approximately $9 million dollars in donations received over the past 9 plus years. Any unused funds as of 31 Dec 2025 would be transferred to the Veteran’s Donation Fund as originally planned for the MFRF program in 2018. This extension of time to dispose of remaining MFRF funds will “maintain faith” with those Arizona taxpayers who specifically donated for the purposes of assisting post 9-11 Veterans and their families, and it will encourage accomplishing this by 2025. Concurrently, establishing the current Veterans’ Donation fund as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization will benefit Veterans of all eras through at least 2025.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Representatives ASAP to encourage their support for moving the SB 1443 to committee and a House vote

When you are ready to forward the Message at the end of this Legislative Update to all State Representatives, copy everything beginning with this paragraph and everything below the Blue Line below, including: Subject: SB 1443: veterans’ donation fund: tax credit, the list of Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons, and the Draft Message that is shown below the list of Email addresses.

Then open a New Email on you computer as you usually do and paste what you just copied including these instructions as the text of that New Email. Then add your name at the ‘X’ after ‘Respectfully’. Don’t include your address as some legislators may delete your Email if they see the address is not in the area of their constituency. Then copy ” SB 1443: veterans’ donation fund: tax credit ” at the beginning of the text that you just pasted and paste it as the subject of your New Email.

Then delete every thing before “Dear State Representative” in your New Message, and review what’s left to see that it just includes the Message that you want to send and you signature. Then you can hit SEND.

______________________________________________________________________________

Subject: SB 1443: veterans’ donation fund: tax credit

Arizona House of Representatives Email addresses with Semi-colons:

Draft Message

Dear State Representative,

As an Arizona Veteran, I encourage you to support Senate Bill SB 1443: ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’. This Bill would establish the current Veterans’ Donation Fund (VDF) as an AZ Tax Credit donation organization for the period 1 Jan 2018 through at least 31 Dec 2025 to augment its current sources of resources for financially assisting Arizona Veterans of all eras of service and their families, including post 9/11/2001 (9-11) Veterans who are now served by the Military Family Relief Funds (MFRF). It would cap annual donations at one million dollars, as has been the case for the MFRF over the past 9 plus years.

This bill has no fiscal impact except to move the existing AZ tax credit from the MFRF to the VDF. And the bill very importantly maintains integrity for the use of the accumulated donations already made to the MFRF.

Background/History: In 2007, United States armed forces were heavily engaged in both Operation Iraq Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan. Service members from Arizona, including members of the Arizona National Guard, were being killed and wounded in these actions as is still happening today.

To provide assistance to those Arizona service members wounded and/or injured in the ongoing conflicts and their families, the 48^th Arizona Legislature established the MFRF to provide financial assistance to family members of military personnel killed or wounded or who become ill in the line of duty and who were deployed post 9-11 from a military base in Arizona or who were members of the Arizona Army or Air National Guard. This legislation also created an AZ tax credit for donations to the MFRF that currently runs through 2018.

The major complaint from some sections of the Arizona Veteran community have about the MFRF is that, as designed by the Legislature, it only assists post 9-11 veterans and that the tax credit donations over the ears have accumulated which, due to the narrow definition of the Fund’s purpose, and will not be expended for those purposes by the time the program is currently scheduled to terminate in 2018. As of January 2017 there were more than $6-million of unused funds in the MFRF because the funds have not been utilized at the rate originally expected. However, during 2016, approximately $624-thousand had been granted to applicants, demonstrating that there is still a need for those Funds.

In 1999, the Arizona Legislature created the Veterans’ Donation Fund (VDF) which, by statute is “used for the benefit of the veterans within this state with grants.” Historically, grants from the VDF are given to Arizona 501 c-3 non-profits and veteran service organizations that directly assist Arizona Veterans throughout the state and Veterans of all service eras. Currently, most of the monies in the VDF are currently raised by the sale of Veterans “Freedom” and other license plates.

SB 1443 would terminate tax credit donations to the MFRF beginning in 2018, but would extend the time for disposition of the some $6-million dollars of currently unused funds to post 9-11 Veterans and their families to at least 31 Dec 2025. At the current rate of utilization, that $6-million will probably be sufficient for all post 9-11 Veteran needs until 2025. And extending the use of those MFRF funds, as originally intended, to 2025 will “maintain faith” with those Arizona taxpayers who specifically donated for the purposes of assisting post 9-11 Veterans and their families.

By transferring the tax credit to the Veterans’ Donation Fund, new monies raised in this manner will be used for a myriad of needs which will benefit all Arizona Veterans who are in need of financial assistance throughout the State. This will make more money available to Veterans of all eras of service.

Please urge your colleagues to support SB 1443 and do what you can to get it on the Ways and Means Committee agenda and on any other necessary committee agendas, or possibly through a Strike Everything Bill, as may be needed to get it to a House vote ASAP during this Legislative Session, as needed to enable continued financial assistance for Arizona Veterans of all eras and their families.

Respectfully,

Legislative Update 10 March 2017: The Gap Between Providing and Accessing Resources for Military Families

We have One Action Items today at Issue 3 Below

Issues

Click on the underlined titles below:

THE GAP BETWEEN PROVIDING AND ACCESSING RESOURCES FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

Are support and services beyond reach?

In the March On Watch column, Brooke Goldberg, MOAA Government Relations Director of Military Family Policy/Spouse Programs, looks at the disconnect in availability of resources for military families.

MORE CHOICE, BETTER HEALTH CARE IN STORE FOR VETS

VA secretary unveils plan to build a “veterans first” health system

Secretary David Shulkin outlines an ambitious plan to improve VA care. How will this affect you?

SENIOR ENLISTED UNANIMOUSLY REQUEST FISCAL CERTAINTY

Highest-ranking enlisted say servicemembers are leaving service because of sequestration

Uncertainty in programs makes it difficult to retain top talent.

MOAA SPONSORS CONGRESSIONAL EVENT TO DISCUSS NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE

House lawmaker introduces bill to fix GI Bill loophole

Military leaders want this fixed. Congress wants it fixed. It’s time to ensure those who are called to duty earn their due credit.

PREPARING TO STORM FOR THE WIDOWS

MOAA staff met with key staffers on the HASC to encourage support ahead of Storming Week

SSIA is set to expire May 2018. A solution must be included in the 2018 defense bill.

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!

MOAA CORONADO – MOAA 5 STAR LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE AWARD AND FIVE STAR COMMUNICATIONS AWARD FOR 2023

Sierra Vista, Arizona

Category Archives: National Legislative Updates

*State Veterans Legislative Update 22 March 2017: SB 1208 S/E: income tax subtraction; military retirement

*State Veterans Legislative Update 21 March 2017: SB 1203 (S/E): ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’

*State Veterans Legislative Update 19 March 2017: HB 2496 S/E: ‘consumer access line of credit’

*State Veterans Legislative Update 16 March 2017: SB 1248 Strike Everything Bill; ‘income tax subtraction: military retirement

*State Veterans Legislative Update 11 March 2017: SB 1443 ‘veterans’ donation fund: tax credit’

Legislative Update 10 March 2017: The Gap Between Providing and Accessing Resources for Military Families

Click on the underlined titles below:

THE GAP BETWEEN PROVIDING AND ACCESSING RESOURCES FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

MORE CHOICE, BETTER HEALTH CARE IN STORE FOR VETS

SENIOR ENLISTED UNANIMOUSLY REQUEST FISCAL CERTAINTY

MOAA SPONSORS CONGRESSIONAL EVENT TO DISCUSS NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE

PREPARING TO STORM FOR THE WIDOWS