A Missouri House Committee approved a bill that clarifies a law that allows counties to freeze property taxes for seniors.
The clarification comes after the law caused confusion over who is covered by the tax freeze. Since the law took effect, counties have implemented variations of the law that differ
from the original intent.
The new bill clarifies that anyone 62 or older is eligible for the tax freeze. Republican Representative Ben Keathley, from Chesterfield, is slated to carry the bill in the House.
He said the bill includes mostly technical changes to bring the law closer to what was intended.
“Making sure that it has the broad intent for Missouri seniors that we thought we were voting for last year,” Keathley said.
Monday’s meeting follows a lawsuit filed by a former State Representative against St. Louis County trying to force the county to implement the law.
This story comes from The Missouri Public News Service, a news partnership between the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism and the Missouri Broadcasters Association.