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|  |  | SB3666 Enrolled |  | LRB096 18564 HLH 35081 b |  | 
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| 1 |  |     AN ACT concerning revenue.
  
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| 2 |  |     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 |  | represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
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| 4 |  |     Section 5. The Property Tax Code is amended  by changing  | 
| 5 |  | Section 15-169 as follows:
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| 6 |  |     (35 ILCS 200/15-169)
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| 7 |  |     Sec. 15-169. Disabled veterans standard homestead  | 
| 8 |  | exemption. | 
| 9 |  |     (a) Beginning with taxable year 2007, an annual homestead  | 
| 10 |  | exemption, limited to the amounts set forth in subsection (b),   | 
| 11 |  | is granted for property that is used as a qualified residence  | 
| 12 |  | by a disabled veteran. | 
| 13 |  |     (b) The amount of the exemption under this Section is as  | 
| 14 |  | follows: | 
| 15 |  |         (1) for veterans with a service-connected disability  | 
| 16 |  | of at least 75%, as certified by the United States  | 
| 17 |  | Department of Veterans Affairs, the annual  exemption is  | 
| 18 |  | $5,000; and | 
| 19 |  |         (2) for veterans with a service-connected disability  | 
| 20 |  | of at least 50%, but less than 75%, as certified by the  | 
| 21 |  | United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the annual   | 
| 22 |  | exemption is $2,500. | 
| 23 |  |     (b-5)  If a homestead exemption is granted under this  | 
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|  |  | SB3666 Enrolled | - 2 - | LRB096 18564 HLH 35081 b |  | 
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| 1 |  | Section and the person awarded the exemption subsequently  | 
| 2 |  | becomes a resident of a facility licensed under the Nursing  | 
| 3 |  | Home Care Act or a facility operated by the United States  | 
| 4 |  | Department of Veterans Affairs, then the exemption shall  | 
| 5 |  | continue (i) so long as the residence continues to be occupied  | 
| 6 |  | by the qualifying person's spouse or (ii) if the residence  | 
| 7 |  | remains unoccupied but is still owned by the person who  | 
| 8 |  | qualified for the homestead exemption.  | 
| 9 |  |     (c) The tax exemption under this Section carries over to  | 
| 10 |  | the benefit of the veteran's
surviving spouse as long as the  | 
| 11 |  | spouse holds the legal or
beneficial title to the homestead,  | 
| 12 |  | permanently resides
thereon, and does not remarry. If the  | 
| 13 |  | surviving spouse sells
the property, an exemption not to exceed  | 
| 14 |  | the amount granted
from the most recent ad valorem tax roll may  | 
| 15 |  | be transferred to
his or her new residence as long as it is  | 
| 16 |  | used as his or her
primary residence and he or she does not  | 
| 17 |  | remarry. | 
| 18 |  |     (d) The exemption under this Section applies for taxable  | 
| 19 |  | year 2007 and thereafter. A taxpayer who claims an exemption  | 
| 20 |  | under Section 15-165 or 15-168 may not claim an exemption under  | 
| 21 |  | this Section. | 
| 22 |  |     (e) Application must be made during the application period
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| 23 |  | in effect for the county of his or her residence. The assessor
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| 24 |  | or chief county assessment officer may determine the
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| 25 |  | eligibility of residential property to receive the homestead
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| 26 |  | exemption provided by this Section by application, visual
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|  |  | SB3666 Enrolled | - 3 - | LRB096 18564 HLH 35081 b |  | 
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| 1 |  | inspection, questionnaire, or other reasonable methods. The
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| 2 |  | determination must be made in accordance with guidelines
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| 3 |  | established by the Department. | 
| 4 |  |     (f) For the purposes of this Section: | 
| 5 |  |     "Qualified residence" means real
property, but less any  | 
| 6 |  | portion of that property that is used for
commercial purposes,  | 
| 7 |  | with an equalized assessed value of less than $250,000 that is  | 
| 8 |  | the disabled veteran's primary residence. Property rented for  | 
| 9 |  | more than 6 months is
presumed to be used for commercial  | 
| 10 |  | purposes. | 
| 11 |  |     "Veteran" means an Illinois resident who has served as a
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| 12 |  | member of the United States Armed Forces on active duty or
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| 13 |  | State active duty, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or
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| 14 |  | a member of the United States Reserve Forces and who has  | 
| 15 |  | received an honorable discharge.
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| 16 |  | (Source: P.A. 95-644, eff. 10-12-07.)
  
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