093_HR0541

                                     LRB093 14364 LCB 19967 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Thousands of men and women  have  devoted  their
 3    lives  to protect our freedoms and have sacrificed themselves
 4    to keep their fellow Americans safe; these men and women have
 5    served in the military both  here  at  home  and  across  the
 6    world; and

 7        WHEREAS, Despite their devotion to their country, 200,000
 8    veterans  are  waiting  between  6  months  and 2 years for a
 9    primary    healthcare    appointment    at    the    Veterans
10    Administration; 14,000 veterans have been  waiting  for  more
11    than  15  months  for the "expedited" disability claims to be
12    finalized; almost 300,000 veterans are homeless on any  given
13    night  and more than one-half million experience homelessness
14    over the course of a  year;  and  560,000  disabled  veterans
15    across the country are being denied their full pension; and

16        WHEREAS,  There  are  32,514  veterans  in  Illinois  who
17    receive military retirement benefits; of these veterans, more
18    than  7,000 veterans also receive disability benefits and are
19    subject to the Disabled Veterans Tax; and

20        WHEREAS,  Statewide,  the  Disabled  Veterans  Tax  costs
21    veterans $2.7 million each month in lost disability benefits;
22    on a per-veteran basis, the tax costs each  affected  veteran
23    an  average of $4,625 of the approximately $15,800 retirement
24    benefit received, which is a 23% reduction in benefits; and

25        WHEREAS, House Resolution 303, which is the  Retired  Pay
26    Restoration   Act  of  2003,  would  eliminate  the  Disabled
27    Veterans Tax for all retired veterans with at least 20  years
28    of  service;  passage  of  this  resolution  would  result in
29    increased benefits in the amount of  $32.6  million  annually
30    for affected Illinois veterans; therefore, be it

31        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
 
                            -2-      LRB093 14364 LCB 19967 r
 1    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
 2    we   urge   the  United  States  Congress  to  support  House
 3    Resolution 303 to eliminate the Disabled Veterans Tax; and be
 4    it further

 5        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
 6    presented  to  each  member  of  the  Illinois  Congressional
 7    delegation.