Undoubtedly, one of the strongest foundations of our communities is Wisconsin's senior citizen population. Their sacrifices and hard work have contributed greatly to Wisconsin's quality of life. During the past legislative session, we recognized the needs of seniors and took action to make Wisconsin a better place to retire.
Often living on a fixed income, seniors are particularly hit hard by taxes, especially the property tax. The state budget included an extension of the property tax freeze for another two years and continued the important Homestead Tax Credit. These measures are intended to help seniors from being driven out of their homes by rising property taxes.
In addition, we worked to pass a retirement income tax cut in the state's budget. Originally the state Assembly proposed to phase in the retirement income tax exclusion with a maximum of $20,000, which would have resulted in a significant tax break for more than 300,000 Wisconsin seniors. In the end, we were able to keep the tax cut in the budget at a more modest compromise of $5,000 per year for certain low-income seniors.
In addition, while Washington continues to have problems with the confusing Medicare Part D program, my colleagues and I in the state Legislature worked in a bipartisan way to ensure SeniorCare remains an option for more than 107,000 seniors. Authorization for the popular prescription drug program was set to expire in 2007, but by working with the federal government, we were able to renew SeniorCare for two and a half years.
During this session, we also passed several measures aimed to assist seniors and their families with long-term care needs. By expanding Family Care by 35 percent statewide, seniors can get the individually tailored services and wide range of care options, including in-home care, which they need. Additionally, in the Assembly we stopped a proposed 69 percent hike in the state's nursing home bed tax. Instead of looking to raise costs for nursing homes, we actually increased the MA reimbursement rate to nursing homes in the budget. Finally, we passed legislation that would require all agencies to conduct background checks on their employees who provide in-home personal care services.
As you can see, the past two years have seen great strides toward protecting senior citizens. From reducing the tax burden to improving health care, it has been a top goal of the state Assembly to ensure more seniors are retiring in our great state.
I want to hear from you, so please feel welcome to express your thoughts or let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way by calling (888) 534-0080, e-mailing me at Rep.Davis@legis.wi.gov or by writing or stopping by 308 North, State Capitol, Madison, WI 53708.
- Wisconsin State Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, serves the 80th Assembly District, which includes all of Green County and portions of Rock, Dane and Lafayette counties.
Often living on a fixed income, seniors are particularly hit hard by taxes, especially the property tax. The state budget included an extension of the property tax freeze for another two years and continued the important Homestead Tax Credit. These measures are intended to help seniors from being driven out of their homes by rising property taxes.
In addition, we worked to pass a retirement income tax cut in the state's budget. Originally the state Assembly proposed to phase in the retirement income tax exclusion with a maximum of $20,000, which would have resulted in a significant tax break for more than 300,000 Wisconsin seniors. In the end, we were able to keep the tax cut in the budget at a more modest compromise of $5,000 per year for certain low-income seniors.
In addition, while Washington continues to have problems with the confusing Medicare Part D program, my colleagues and I in the state Legislature worked in a bipartisan way to ensure SeniorCare remains an option for more than 107,000 seniors. Authorization for the popular prescription drug program was set to expire in 2007, but by working with the federal government, we were able to renew SeniorCare for two and a half years.
During this session, we also passed several measures aimed to assist seniors and their families with long-term care needs. By expanding Family Care by 35 percent statewide, seniors can get the individually tailored services and wide range of care options, including in-home care, which they need. Additionally, in the Assembly we stopped a proposed 69 percent hike in the state's nursing home bed tax. Instead of looking to raise costs for nursing homes, we actually increased the MA reimbursement rate to nursing homes in the budget. Finally, we passed legislation that would require all agencies to conduct background checks on their employees who provide in-home personal care services.
As you can see, the past two years have seen great strides toward protecting senior citizens. From reducing the tax burden to improving health care, it has been a top goal of the state Assembly to ensure more seniors are retiring in our great state.
I want to hear from you, so please feel welcome to express your thoughts or let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way by calling (888) 534-0080, e-mailing me at Rep.Davis@legis.wi.gov or by writing or stopping by 308 North, State Capitol, Madison, WI 53708.
- Wisconsin State Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, serves the 80th Assembly District, which includes all of Green County and portions of Rock, Dane and Lafayette counties.
