Delaware Veterans Celebrate Passing of SB219
(DOVER, Del) – Delaware veterans are celebrating the passage of Senate Bill 219. It’s a nonpartisan bill meant to help increase income tax exemptions for retired military personnel.
The bill, which guarantees income tax exemptions up to 25 thousand dollars by 2029 has been in discussion for several years at Legislative Hall.
And Delaware Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Retired Brigadier General, Karen Berry says this benefit is long overdue.
She tells WMDT…”That all happened in June. And, and those are hurdles that had never gotten that far before. And so we were excited, kind of kept pushing. People reach out to their legislator body to say, hey, we want you to support this.”
We caught up with several local veterans. Some of whom served for over 20 years, and asked what it feels like to see this bill get passed.
Retired Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class, Rick Rambo says, “The ones that benefit from this to have military pensions, these are the ones that, spent 20 or more years to earn that pension…”
“I’m a combat wounded veteran. And so I’ve been in states where it’s 100% for the veterans. And this is a monumental event, and it’s worthy of celebration,” says Retired Marines Captain, Carlton Cannon.
One veteran says she’s glad to see the bill pass to help the homeless veterans she serves in the community.
Retired Army Sergeant 1st Class, Frances-Perry Hawkins says, “With the bill set to go into effect in 2027, officials say it’s a good way to say thank you those who served.”
The original limit for tax exemption was $12,500.
