January 7, 2020
The New Year offers an opportunity for each of us to reflect on what we have accomplished in 2019, and look forward to the possibilities that lie ahead. As your state legislator in Augusta, I have been thinking a lot about what I am excited to accomplish for our state, and our community, during 2020.
With the legislature returning to the State House this week, I am extremely proud to be the sponsor of legislation that will support our state’s veterans. Our veterans have made an extreme sacrifice for our nation. From World War II to the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, all veterans deserve to receive the services that they have earned.
If passed, my first piece of legislation would bolster funding for the states Bureau of Veterans Services. This would allow the Bureau to employ more caseworkers to assist veterans in accessing healthcare services, home financing, property tax exemptions and income tax credits. Federal and state bureaucracies can be confusing, and it is important that these caseworkers are available to support our veterans in navigating the many departments and agencies that they have access to. I know that there are veterans in our community that have dedicated themselves to our country and yet have not received their benefits.
The second piece of legislation that I am sponsoring would expand these benefits by providing disabled veterans with a property tax credit that correlates to their disability rating. Disabled veterans have not only served our nation valiantly, they have also come home with the scars of war. This will reduce their property tax burden and recognize their incredible service.
We can never do enough to repay the veterans in our community who have contributed so much. These pieces of legislation, however, are a step in the right direction.
Rep. Tiffany Roberts
State Representative
