February 5, 2022
Dear Veteran Service and Military Organizations, Veterans Advocates, and Community Partners:
The House Finance Committee will be hearing the Governor’s FY 2023 Budget, H7123, Article 6, Taxation, on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at the Rise of the House (typically after 4:30 p.m.) in Room 35 of the State House. The entire agenda can be found at this link: https://status.rilegislature.gov/documents/agenda-17747.pdf
Governor McKee has always prioritized Veterans and military families, and he consistently has been working to build a more resilient, prosperous, and equitable state for all. As part of the Governor’s proposed Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, Article 6, Taxation, recommends phasing out the taxation of military service pensions for state tax purposes over a five-year period. Twenty percent of taxpayer’s military service pension benefits included in federal adjusted gross income would be subtracted for tax year 2023, 40 percent for tax year 2024, 60 percent for tax year 2025, 80 percent for tax year 2026, and 100 percent for tax year 2027. Currently, Rhode Island is only one of four states that do not provide a specific state income tax preference for military pension income, and Governor McKee aims to correct that, making Rhode Island even more competitive and attractive to military retirees and families.
Please make your voice heard at the House Finance Committee by submitting written and/or verbal testimony. Your partnership with our agency and advocacy on behalf of Veterans and military families are inspirations that drive us to ensure all Rhode Islanders receive the benefits and services they deserve.
The following instructions for written and verbal testimony are directly from the House Finance Committee posting:
Written testimony can be submitted to HouseFinance@rilegislature.gov
Indicate your name, Article number, and viewpoint (for/against/neither) at top of message. Due to high volume, clerks are not screening this inbox for verbal testimony requests. This inbox is for written testimony only. Written testimony should be submitted no later than three (3) hours prior to the posted meeting time.
VERBAL TESTIMONY Individuals may testify in person or over the phone. Masks are mandatory in committee hearings and in the State House. Please take note of the procedure for verbal testimony over the phone: *DEADLINE: Individuals may testify in person or over the phone. For phone testimony, the deadline to register is 4:00 pm the day prior. To register, complete the FORM or sign-up in person with the committee clerk. Masks are mandatory in committee hearings and in the State House. Verbal testimony accepted on any bill scheduled for “Hearing and/or Consideration” only The committee is unable to designate a specific time that you will be called and in some cases, it may be at a late hour. In the event you are unavailable when called, witnesses are urged to submit written testimony
Regards,
Kasim J. Yarn Director