Dear PHS Commissioned Corps Colleague,

We are requesting your support for the passage of Ohio House Bill 239. HB239 would provide a state tax exemption for the retirement income of Commissioned Officers of the Public Health Service (PHS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

When Ohio HB 372 passed a few years ago, it provided a tax exemption for retirement income earned by retirees of the five military branches, i.e., Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. However, the text of the bill specifically excluded retired Commissioned Officers of the PHS and NOAA from the tax exemptions provided by the bill. In the last Ohio legislative session, HB 188 would have corrected this oversight. That bill passed the Ohio House by a vote of 96 to 1, but did not make it out of committee in the state Senate before it expired at the end of the legislative session. Ohio Representative Peter Stautberg has re-introduced the bill during the current legislative session, where it is known as HB 239 (the text of the bill can be found here:

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_HB_239).

The bill is assigned to Representative Lynn Wachtmann's Committee on Health and Aging. An initial committee hearing to discuss the bill had been tentatively scheduled for January 25, 2012. The purpose of the hearing will be for the sponsor, Representative Stautberg, to discuss the bill, its background, and to answer any questions. There may be future hearings where proponents and opponents could provide public testimony. Letters in support of the bill from both active duty and retired officers may help secure passage of the bill. Letters should be addressed to your representative (get contact information here: http://www.house.state.oh.us/) and copied to Chairman Wachtmann and Representative Stautberg. Assuming that HB 239 makes its way out of committee, the bill must then be passed by the full House, then the Senate, and then the signed by the Governor before it becomes law. HB 239 will die if not finalized by December 31, 2012.

Attached is a sample letter that you can customize for your use. Please send these letters as soon as possible. We will keep you updated as this bill progresses.

Sincerely,

Captain (Ret) Laurence D. Reed

Captain Alan Echt