AUGUSTA – Three bills to help veterans sponsored by Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, were referred to their committees of jurisdiction on March 25 in the Maine House of Representatives. They include legislation to help homeless veterans, provide tax relief and increase educational benefits.

L.D. 1110, Resolve, Creating a Commission to Study the Issue of Homeless Veterans in the State, was referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs, on which Cornell du Houx serves. This resolve would establish a study commission to review and examine, in consultation with a representative of the Veterans Administration, the issue of homeless veterans. As mentioned by President Obama in his press conference on March 24, veterans are over-represented among the homeless population. Veterans are reported to constitute at least one-third of the nation’s homeless. This commission would examine causes, possible solutions and what further assistance can be given to homeless veterans in the state.

“Maine has more veterans per capita than any other state. We have an obligation to provide opportunities for homeless veterans after so many have sacrificed and honorably served our nation,” said Cornell du Houx, a Marine Iraq War veteran.

A second bill, L.D. 1149, An Act to Amend the Veterans Homestead Exemption to Include Certain Medal Winners, has been referred to the Taxation Committee. The bill adds soldiers and Marines who were awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal or the Afghanistan Campaign Medal to the list of veterans eligible to receive a $6,000 property tax exemption. These medals are authorized for service members who deployed abroad in recent and ongoing conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan. This bill also removes the requirement that the veteran attain the age of 62 before being eligible to receive the property tax exemption.

Current law provides this exemption to veterans of certain wars or conflicts or who were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal once those veterans have reached 62 years of age or receive any form of pension or compensation from the United States Government for total disability as a veteran.

The third veteran’s bill, L.D. 1090, An Act to Allow Veterans and Active Duty Military Members to Qualify for In-state Tuition, has been referred to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. The bill would qualify a student who is an active member or veteran of the Armed Forces, regardless of the state of residence, for in-state tuition rates for first-time enrollment at any campus of University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System or the Maine Maritime Academy.

These bills will be scheduled for public hearings in coming weeks.

More information about the bills is available at http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/search.asp