Kim joins Shapiro for Property Tax/Rent Rebate expansion bill signing
Rep. Patty Kim August 10, 2023 | 2:56 PM
HARRISBURG, Aug. 10 – House Aging & Older Adult Services Committee majority chair, state Rep. Patty Kim, D-Dauphin/Cumberland, joined Gov. Josh Shapiro at the West Shore Senior Center in New Cumberland for the ceremonial signing of H.B. 1100. The new law expands the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program to nearly 175,000 more Pennsylvania seniors and people with disabilities and doubles rebates for many of the 400,000 people who already qualify.
A co-prime sponsor of H.B. 1100, Kim said that the bill delivers the largest targeted tax break for Pennsylvania seniors in nearly two decades. The new income limits and increased rebates from Act 7 of 2023 will be used when the 2024 program opens.
“As majority chair of the Aging & Older Adult Services Committee, I’ve heard from many Pennsylvania seniors and individuals with disabilities about how important it is for them to stay in their homes for their health and sense of wellbeing,” Kim said. “The PTRR expansion will provide a critical financial lifeline to members of our families, friends and neighbors that will help enable them to keep up with the cost of living.”
Act 7 of 2023 will increase the income limit to $45,000 for both homeowners and renters and raise the maximum rebate amount from $650 to $1,000.
The overwhelmingly bipartisan passage of the law marks the first time the program has been updated since 2006 and the first time since 2009 that the income limits to qualify for the program have been increased.
“Crucially, this new law requires that income limits each year be adjusted for inflation so that incremental, routine increases to Social Security benefits don’t disqualify people from the program, even though their financial situation has not changed,” Kim said. “This is what has been happening, causing fewer and fewer Pennsylvanians to be able to qualify for assistance. Thanks to House Bill 1100, more Pennsylvania seniors and individuals with disabilities will get the assistance they need to stay in their homes.”