Senate passes Dhingra bill to provide property tax relief for seniors, veterans

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OLYMPIA – The Senate yesterday unanimously passed legislation introduced by Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, to provide property tax relief to those who can least afford an increase—senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and veterans who reside in areas with a high cost of living.

“Affordability is a huge problem in the 45^th Legislative District and surrounding communities,” Dhingra said. “Seniors and people on fixed income, many of whom have called the 45^th home for decades, are being priced out of their homes.”

Under current law, the senior property tax exemption is calculated based on statewide income thresholds, which do not account for the disparate cost of living in different counties. Senate Bill 6251 will change eligibility to be based on each county’s median household income.

“Simply put, current exemptions do not account for regional difference,” Dhingra said. “This bill fixes that.”

Senate Bill 6251 passed with a vote of 47-0.