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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 13, 2022 12:45 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Robert Schnee and Rep. Aaron D. Kaufer |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Expanding the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that will provide various updates to the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program to account for the high inflation that Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth are experiencing. As all of you can attest, inflation is continuing to have a significant adverse impact on our residents and local communities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index increased approximately 8.3% for preceding 12 months, with “all items less food and energy index [rising] 6.2% over the last 12 months. The energy index rose 30.3% over the last year, and the food index increased 9.4%, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending April 1981.” While all of our residents and communities are surely experiencing the complications that are a result, our senior citizens, many of whom live on fixed incomes, are particularly subject to the pain that this is causing for their everyday lives and are faced with tremendously difficult decisions that will impact their hard-earned “Golden Years.” It’s time that the General Assembly provided some relief. My legislation will provide several updates to the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program. Specifically, my legislation will increase the maximum income thresholds for claimants that are both homeowners and renters, while also increasing the maximum amount of a rebate that a claimant may receive to $750. Additionally, my legislation will reinstate an expired cost-of-living adjustment moratorium to ensure that any increase in Social Security benefits is not the sole reason why a claimant may be denied for a rebate, effective for the current calendar year. Times are difficult. In addition to inflation, the Social Security Administration approved a 5.9% increase in benefits for more than 64 million beneficiaries across the country, plus an additional 8 million that will receive increased payments, for the current year. For next year, early reports are citing a possibility that the increase could exceed an additional 8% for beneficiaries. It’s imperative that we take the necessary steps that my legislation will provide now to ensure we’re able to continue providing for our senior citizens. I respectfully ask for you to join me as a co-sponsor of this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB2700