Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $2,500 over four years.

SCR96

SENATE
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 96

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 9, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� TROY SINGLETON

District 7 (Burlington)

Senator� CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.

District 9 (Ocean)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Corrado, Space, McKnight, Singer, A.M.Bucco,
Steinhardt, Gopal, Diegnan, Turner and Tiver

SYNOPSIS

���� Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount
of veterans� property tax deduction from $250 to $2,500 over four years.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A Concurrent Resolution
proposing to amend Article VIII, Section I, paragraph 3
of the New Jersey Constitution.

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate of the State of New
Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

���� 1.� The following proposed
amendment to the Constitution of the State of New Jersey is hereby agreed to:

PROPOSED
AMENDMENT

���� Amend Article VIII, Section I,
paragraph to read as follows:

���� 3.� a.� Any citizen and
resident of this State now or hereafter honorably discharged or released under
honorable circumstances from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces
of the United States shall be entitled, annually to a deduction from the amount
of any tax bill for taxes on real and personal property, or both, including
taxes attributable to a residential unit held by a stockholder in a cooperative
or mutual housing corporation
[
in
the sum of
]
.�
The amount of the deduction shall be
$250 in each tax year
[
, or if
]

through
tax year 2024, $1,000 in tax year 2025, $1,500 in tax year 2026, $2,000 in tax
year 2027, and $2,500 in tax year 2028 and in each tax year thereafter
.� If
the amount of any such tax bill shall be less than
[
$250,
]

the amount of the deduction
for the tax year, such a citizen and resident of the State shall be entitled

to a cancellation
[
thereof
]

of the tax
bill
.� The deduction or cancellation shall not be altered or repealed.� Any
person hereinabove described who has been or shall be declared by the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs, or its successor, to have a
service-connected disability, shall be entitled to such further deduction from
taxation as from time to time may be provided by law.� The surviving spouse of
any citizen and resident of this State who has met or shall meet his or her
death on active duty in any such service shall be entitled, during her
widowhood or his widowerhood, as the case may be, and while a resident of this
State, to the deduction or cancellation in this subsection provided for
honorably discharged veterans and to such further deduction as from time to
time may be provided by law.� The surviving spouse of any citizen and resident
of this State who has had or shall hereafter have active service in any branch
of the Armed Forces of the United States and who died or shall die while on
active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or who has
been or may hereafter be honorably discharged or released under honorable
circumstances from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the
United States shall be entitled, during her widowhood or his widowerhood, as
the case may be, and while a resident of this State, to the deduction or
cancellation in this subsection provided for honorably discharged veterans and
to such further deductions as from time to time may be provided by law.

���� b.��� A continuing care
retirement community shall receive a veterans' property tax deduction on behalf
of eligible veterans.� The amount of the property tax deduction shall be the
dollar amount of the deduction multiplied by the number of eligible veterans receiving
the property tax deduction immediately prior to moving into the continuing care
retirement community.� A person otherwise eligible for the veterans' deduction
who is a resident of a continuing care retirement community shall receive the
amount of the deduction to the extent of the share of the taxes assessed
against the real property of the continuing care retirement community that is
attributable to the unit that the resident occupies.� The continuing care
retirement community shall provide that amount as a payment or credit to the
resident.� That payment or credit shall be made to the resident no later than
30 days after the continuing care retirement community receives the property
tax bill on which the credit appears.� A veterans' property tax deduction shall
not be paid on behalf of any eligible veteran who resides in a continuing care
retirement community that is property tax-exempt.� A resident receiving a
payment or credit pursuant to this subsection shall not receive a veterans'
property tax deduction on any other residence owned in whole or in part by the
resident, or any residence in which the resident's spouse is living.

���� The surviving spouse of any
citizen and resident of this State who has met or shall meet his or her death
on active duty in any such service shall be entitled, during her widowhood or
his widowerhood, as the case may be, and while a resident of this State, to the
deduction in this subsection provided for honorably discharged veterans.� The
surviving spouse of any citizen and resident of this State who has had or shall
hereafter have active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United
States and who died or shall die while on active duty in any branch of the
Armed Forces of the United States, or who has been or may hereafter be
honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active
service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be
entitled, during her widowhood or his widowerhood, as the case may be, and
while a resident of this State, to the deduction in this subsection provided
for honorably discharged veterans.

(cf: Article VIII, Section I,
paragraph 3; amended effective December 3, 2020)

���� 2.� When this proposed
amendment to the Constitution is finally agreed to pursuant to Article IX,
paragraph 1 of the Constitution, it shall be submitted to the people at the
next general election occurring more than three months after the final
agreement and shall be published at least once in at least one newspaper of
each county designated by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the
General Assembly and the Secretary of State, not less than three months prior
to the general election.

���� 3.� This proposed amendment to
the Constitution shall be submitted to the people at that election in the
following manner and form:

���� There shall be printed on each
official ballot to be used at the general election, the following:

���� a.� In every municipality in
which voting machines are not used, a legend which shall immediately precede
the question as follows:

���� If you favor the proposition
printed below make a cross (X), plus (+), or check (
a
) in the square opposite the word "Yes." If you are
opposed thereto make a cross (X), plus (+) or check (
a
) in the square opposite the
word "No."

���� b. In
every municipality the following question:

CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT TO PHASE IN INCREASE TO THE PROPERTY TAX DEDUCTION FOR QUALIFIED
VETERANS AND THEIR SURVIVING SPOUSES

YES

��� Do you approve amending the
New Jersey Constitution to increase the amount of the veterans� property tax
deduction from $250 to $2,500?� The increase would occur over four years.�
The surviving spouse of a qualified veteran would also receive the increased
property tax deduction.

INTERPRETIVE
STATEMENT

NO

��� This constitutional amendment
would increase the amount of the annual property tax deduction for qualified
veterans and their surviving spouses.� The increase would occur over four
years.

��� The current amount of the
deduction is $250.� This amendment would increase that amount to $1,000 in
tax year 2025, $1,500 in tax year 2026, $2,000 in tax year 2027, and $2,500
in tax year 2028.� The deduction would stay at $2,500 each year after 2028.

��� A veteran who is honorably
discharged from active service in a branch of the United States Armed Forces
qualifies for the deduction.� The veteran�s spouse would receive the
deduction after the veteran dies.

STATEMENT

���� If approved by the voters of
the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would increase the amount of
the veterans� property tax deduction from the current $250 to $2,500.� The
increase would occur over four years.� Veterans who are honorably discharged
from active service in a branch of the United States Armed Forces qualify for
the deduction.� A qualified veteran�s surviving spouse would receive the
deduction after the qualified veteran dies.

���� The amendment would increase
the amount of the deduction to $1,000 in tax year 2025, $1,500 in tax year 2026,
$2,000 in tax year 2027, and $2,500 in tax year 2028, and every tax year
thereafter.

���� The voters of the State last
approved an increase in the amount of the deduction in 1999, from $50 to $250,
over four years.� The amount of the deduction has been $250 since 2003.