PRINTER'S NO. 2849

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2106 Session of 1984


        INTRODUCED BY CALTAGIRONE, MAY 1, 1984

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, MAY 1, 1984

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of March 11, 1971 (P.L.104, No.3), entitled, as
     2     reenacted and amended, "An act providing property tax or rent
     3     rebate and inflation dividends to certain senior citizens,
     4     widows, widowers and permanently disabled persons with
     5     limited incomes; establishing uniform standards and
     6     qualifications for eligibility to receive rebates and
     7     dividends; providing for transportation assistance grants and
     8     grants to area agencies on aging for services to older
     9     persons; and imposing duties upon the Department of Revenue,"
    10     extending property tax and rent rebate provisions to single
    11     persons over fifty years of age.

    12     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    13  hereby enacts as follows:
    14     Section 1.  The title and sections 2 and 3(7) of the act of
    15  March 11, 1971 (P.L.104, No.3), known as the Senior Citizens
    16  Rebate and Assistance Act, reenacted and amended June 16, 1975
    17  (P.L.7, No.4) and amended March 10, 1982 (P.L.177, No.56), are
    18  amended to read:
    19                               AN ACT
    20  Providing property tax or rent rebate and inflation dividends to
    21     certain senior citizens, widows, widowers, single persons and
    22     permanently disabled persons with limited incomes;

     1     establishing uniform standards and qualifications for
     2     eligibility to receive rebates and dividends; providing for
     3     transportation assistance grants and grants to area agencies
     4     on aging for services to older persons; and imposing duties
     5     upon the Department of Revenue.
     6     Section 2.  Declaration of Policy.--In recognition of the
     7  severe economic plight of certain senior citizens, widows,
     8  widowers, single persons and permanently disabled persons who
     9  are real property owners or renters with fixed and limited
    10  incomes who are faced with rising living costs and constantly
    11  increasing tax and inflation cost burdens which threaten their
    12  homesteads and self-sufficiency, the General Assembly, pursuant
    13  to the mandates of the Constitutional Convention of 1968,
    14  considers it to be a matter of sound public policy to make
    15  special provisions for property tax rebates or rent rebates in
    16  lieu of property taxes and inflation dividends to that class of
    17  senior citizens, widows, widowers, single persons and
    18  permanently disabled persons who are real property taxpayers or
    19  renters who are without adequate means of support to enable them
    20  to remain in peaceable possession of their homes and relieving
    21  their economic burden and to provide transportation assistance
    22  grants and to provide grants to area agencies on aging for
    23  services to older persons.
    24     Section 3.  Definitions.--As used in this act:
    25     * * *
    26     (7)  "Claimant" means a person who files a claim for property
    27  tax rebate or rent rebate in lieu of property taxes and
    28  inflation dividend and was sixty-five years of age or over, or
    29  whose spouse (if a member of the household) was sixty-five years
    30  of age or over, during a calendar year in which real property
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     1  taxes, rent and inflation costs were due and payable or was a
     2  widow or widower and was fifty years of age or over during a
     3  calendar year or part thereof in which real property taxes, rent
     4  and inflation costs were due and payable, or for purposes of
     5  section 4(a.1) and (a.2), a single person who was fifty years of
     6  age or over during a calendar year or part thereof in which real
     7  property taxes or rent were due and payable, or was a
     8  permanently disabled person eighteen years of age or over during
     9  a calendar year or part thereof in which real property taxes,
    10  rent and inflation costs were due and payable. For the purposes
    11  of this act the term "widow" or "widower" shall mean the
    12  surviving wife or the surviving husband, as the case may be, of
    13  a deceased individual and who has not remarried except as
    14  provided in subsection (c) and (d) of section 4 of this act. For
    15  the purposes of this act the term "permanently disabled person"
    16  shall mean a person who is unable to engage in any substantial
    17  gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable
    18  physical or mental impairment which can be expected to continue
    19  indefinitely, except as provided in subsection (c) and (d) of
    20  section 4 of this act.
    21     * * *
    22     Section 2.  This act shall be applicable to calendar year
    23  1984 and annually thereafter.
    24     Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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