| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Veterans group unveils 2021 legislative priorities By Jim Hannah, LRC Frankfort, KY - Protecting the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) budget while providing property tax relief for veterans service organizations is at the top of a wish list for the state's veterans advocates. Joint Executive Council of Veterans Organizations (JECVO) No. 1 legislative priority for the 2021 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly is protecting KDVA's budget, said Larry Arnett, the group's legislative officer. He made the comments while testifying before today's meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection. KDVA Commissioner Keith Jackson testified that his department returned $263,000 to the state general fund in response to the governor's budget reduction request in April. The General Assembly will convene on Jan. 5 to pass the state's next fiscal budget. Jackson also said his department had received $3.9 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As of Oct. 31, the department had spent $1.9 million and obligated the remaining amount for similar COVID-19 expenses, including increases in medical costs for veterans. JECVO'S second, and final priority, is legislation, known as Bill Request 153, that would create a property tax exemption for property owned by veterans service organizations. To qualify for the tax exemption, over 50 percent of an organization's annual net income would have to be expended on behalf of veterans and other charitable causes, according to language in the bill. The sponsor, Rep. Matthew Koch, R-Paris, testified similar legislation was filed during the last two regular sessions. He said 31 states already have laws governing property tax exemptions for veterans service organizations. Arnett said if BR 153 was enacted it would mean a loss of about $300,000 annually in tax revenue. Only 8 percent of that figure currently goes to the state, he said. The majority goes to the cities or counties where the veterans service organizations have posts. "They don't mind losing that $275,000 because they get much more than that in charitable contributions and civic involvement by our veterans organization folks," Arnett said about support for BR 153 from the Kentucky Association of Counties and Kentucky League of Cities. Arnett said BR 153 was critical to the viability of Kentucky's veterans service organizations, many of which were in financial difficulty even before COVID-19. Jackson said his department would also like to see legislation to align Kentucky's education benefits with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, establish a veterans suicide prevention program within his department, and designate June 12 as Women Veterans Appreciation Day. Rep. Jim DuPlessis, R-Elizabethtown, said he would like to see the state's veterans advocates push for the passage of proposed legislation to provide tax incentives for service members to retire in Kentucky. His district includes a portion of Fort Knox, with a daytime population of about 25,200 soldiers, civilian employees and family members, according to the U.S. Army. This story was posted on 2020-11-19 20:24:47
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Politics:
Comer named to influential committee Legislative panel hears testimony in favor of gas tax increase Committees hear testimony on proposed education legislation Thanks from Adair County Board of Elections Unofficial Adair County Vote Totals, 2020 General Election City Council votes (unofficial) Report suspected election law violations to 1-800-328-VOTE Last 2 Days to vote in the 2020 General Election Legislators consider paid parental leave for state workers Senator Max Wise: 2020 Ballot Measures View even more articles in topic Politics |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
