MORRIS COUNTY — Assemblywoman Aura Dunn’s bill ensuring every New Jersey veteran visiting a Motor Vehicle Commission location would drive away with benefit information passed the Assembly Transportation Committee on Thursday.
Dunn says the legislation (A4733/S3595) was inspired by her efforts to help a veteran who missed out on a valuable property tax deduction because of a filing deadline.
Dunn explains the meeting as a proactive session that crosses party lines and spotlights issues municipal leaders will face in the upcoming year.
“While my staff and I continue to navigate government bureaucracy to get our resident the veteran property tax refund he deserves from the state, I couldn’t help but think that the problem all started because of communication, or lack of it, at the one agency every adult must visit, the MVC,” Dunn (R-Morris) said. “This bill is about ensuring every veteran is given all the pertinent benefit information at one stop, instead of trying to piece together materials from different state agencies.”
The MVC verifies veterans’ information when including a veteran designation on an ID. Under the bill, a person with a veteran designation would receive hard copies and booklets on state and federal veteran benefits when he or she visits an MVC for a driver’s or probationary license, an identification card, or to renew a license. The information would also be available digitally on the commission’s website.
“There are income tax deductions, property tax deductions, grant programs for housing, employment, and medical assistance, and so many more benefits veterans have earned in their selfless defense of this nation and state. Providing them with benefit information can mean the difference between staying and moving,” Dunn said. “By bridging communication gaps, New Jersey can better serve its heroes who have come home.”
The bill is the first part of Dunn’s “Welcome Home Veterans” package, which will eventually include other legislation to make New Jersey a more military-friendly place to live. It cleared the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee in December.
