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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. John Pallone |
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House passes Pallone bill to protect access to Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
HARRISBURG, June 16 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has unanimously passed state Rep. John Pallone's bill that would exempt economic stimulus payments from counting against the state's Property Tax/Rent Rebate income eligibility.
House Bill 1481 now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
"The federal economic stimulus initiative provides for a $250 stipend to many senior citizens. This one-time payment could push some of our senior citizens over the income limits for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program," said Pallone, D-Westmoreland/Armstrong. "With many of our seniors already struggling in this tough economy, now is not the time to pull the rug out from under them by denying help with their property taxes or rent."
Under the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, senior citizens and other eligible homeowners and renters can apply for a rebate of up to $650 on their 2008 property taxes or rent. The program is open to senior citizens 65 or older, widows or widowers 50 or older, and residents 18 or older with a permanent disability. The income limit for homeowners is $35,000; the income limit for renters is $15,000. Residents only have to include half of their Social Security or federal railroad retirement Tier I benefits when calculating income.
The House had already unanimously passed Pallone's H.B. 1480, which would exempt the one-time $250 federal economic stimulus stipend from counting against income eligibility for the state's PACE/PACENET prescription-drug program. That bill also has been sent to the state Senate for consideration.
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