A legislative proposal to exempt uniformed services retirees from state income taxes was introduced in Ohio’s House of Representatives on May 19. It is House Bill 188, sponsored by Rep. Peter J. Stautberg, a Cincinnati Republican, and Rep. Peter Ujvagi, a Toledo Democrat.

To move this bill forward, it is essential for all Ohio PHS officers, both active-duty and retired, to make their voices heard. HB 188 is now before the House Committee on Financial Institutions, Real Estate, and Securities. Winning the approval of this key committee is the first hurdle.

What can you do? Take these six steps:

1.  Visit the Cincinnati Branch’s website for background information, updates, and names and contact information of key legislators. The address is http://coa.spsp.net/webpage/news/tax/index.htm.

2.  Find out who your own elected representative is and how he or she can be reached. Go to http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm#reps_zip and click on “find legislator by zip code.” Write to your representative in support of the bill.

3.  Check to see if your representative holds a leadership post in the House or sits on the Financial Institutions, Real Estate, and Securities Committee. The Cincinnati Branch has posted names and contact information for all House leaders and all Committee members. If one of these key legislators is your own elected representative, it is especially important to express support for the bill.

4.  Check to see if your own representative is already a co-sponsor of HB 188. If so, write a letter of thanks. If not, ask him or her to become a co-sponsor. The names of co-sponsors can be found on the Cincinnati Branch’s website or on the website of the Ohio legislature http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_HB_188

5.  Send copies of your letter, or write separate letters, to the Committee Chair and to as many House leaders and committee members as you can.

6.  Provide feedback and share your communications with your fellow officers. It is helpful to let the Cincinnati Branch’s legislative committee know that you have written, and to whom. Contact CAPT Alan Echt at Alan.Echt@uky.edu