In Support of S.B. 1128, An Act Concerning Certain Property Tax Exemptions for Veterans
March 7, 2023On February 28, 2023, Neubert, Pepe & Monteith, P.C. attorney Dennis Carnelli testified before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs in support S.B. 1128, An Act Concerning Certain Property Tax Exemptions for Veterans. If enacted, the bill would provide Connecticut veterans with a 100% disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with a complete property tax exemption.
Attorney Carnelli, who is the chair of the Veterans & Military Affairs Section of the Connecticut Bar Association and an Iraq War veteran, urged the Committee to favorably report the bill. Attorney Carnelli commented on his testimony: “Eighteen other states, including our neighbors New Hampshire and New Jersey, have already enacted similar legislation. Several others, including our neighbors Massachusetts and Maine, are in the process of doing so. The justification for enacting this bill, and others like it, is so obvious and self-evident that it is rarely articulated in words. Unfortunately, that justification is forgotten by some. Municipal lobbyists oppose the bill not on merits but for reasons rooted in the perpetual quarrel between the state government and municipalities on issues of funding for state mandated municipal tax exemptions. While those are legitimate issues, this bill transcends all of them. These, are our most severely injured veterans, are not the proper subject of that debate. They placed themselves at ultimate peril in risking their life and limb for the collective benefit and continued security of our society. They forewent the opportunities and benefits that their civilian contemporaries enjoyed. In so doing, these veterans made every sacrifice but the ultimate one. It is incumbent upon our society to do the same for them. This bill, S.B. 1128, provides these 100% disabled veterans, who constitute less than 1/10th of 1% of Connecticut’s population, with nothing more and nothing less than they deserve.
The Committee is expected to vote on the bill in March 2023. The 2023 Connecticut legislative session ends on June 8, 2023. The Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs is co-chaired by Senator Martha Marx (D) and Representative Anthony Nolan (D): https://www.cga.ct.gov/va/
Attorney Carnelli is a litigation attorney who represents Individuals and businesses in private disputes and civil rights matters. He is a longtime advocate for Connecticut’s veterans and servicemembers.
Dennis M. Carnelli is a civil litigation attorney. His practice focuses upon appellate matters and complex civil litigation in state and federal courts. Dennis has experience in a broad range of areas including contract law and commercial litigation, insurance law (particularly coverage and subrogation), municipal liability, product liability, and general tort law (including personal injury, negligence, and premises liability).