Seniors
Aging in Place
Seniors should be able to stay in their communities as they age. I will fight to ensure seniors have access to needed services and appropriate housing.
- Access to public transportation.
- Access to senior services and senior centers.
- Affordable accessible housing and tax breaks to allow seniors to stay in their homes.
- Ensuring our communities are safe and livable.
In 2013-2014, we made progress on accomplishing those goals:
Tax relief
- Provided $177 million in direct property tax relief
- Simplified estate tax and increased estate tax exemption
- Repealed gift tax
- Extended disabled veterans property tax benefit for spouses
- For the future: reverse the increased dependence on property tax vs. income tax of the last decade
Quality of Life
- Invested $100 million in affordable housing
- Established statewide stroke ready hospital system
- Allowed designated agents on bank accounts to perform banking tasks (Previously only co-ownership was allowed)
- Made voting easier with the no excuses absentee ballot
- Provided 5% rate increase for home-care workers and nursing home providers
Security
- Modified Power of Attorney forms to prevent financial exploitation
- Improved regulations for wire transfers to prevent fraud
In 2015-2016, we continued some progress with the addition of a House committee on Aging and Long-term Care:
- Established statewide designated STEMI heart attack ready hospital system
- Required emergency medical responders to transport stroke victims to designated stroke ready hospitals
- Restructured nursing home reimbursement system to better reflect costs
- Allowed hospital patients todesignate a caregiver to receive information and care instructions
- Protected individual rights to accessibility in public facilities while reducing frivolous lawsuits against businesses
However, the gridlock of the session left many things undone:
- Additional rate increases for care providers so good employees can be retained, reducing turnover
- Providing adequate, stable transportation funding for both highways and improved public transit access in our district
- Controlling college tuition increases and reducing student debt, so parents don't go into retirement still paying for their children's education
- Reversing the increased dependence on property tax vs. income tax of the last decade, to help people on fixed incomes stay in their homes.
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