In the Press Release that just went out, Governor Noem signed Senate Bill 182, brought by Senator Herman Otten. While not a big or flashy piece of legislation, it’s a measure that will do some good for families who have children with disabilities.
What Senate Bill 182 does is to provide a modest and logical addition to the tax code for property taxes to help support parents of adult children with disabilities.
This bill seeks to add language regarding who can claim “owner-occupied” for property taxes to include an “adult child with a disability”. The current statute as written already includes “a parent.” This means, currently, I purchased a home for a parent, it would be classified as “owner occupied” and we would be taxed at that rate. What the bill did was to also include “adult child with a disability” so families like my own who might purchase a home to rent to their adult child with a disability would be categorized as “owner occupied” and taxed at that rate.
What the bill does is offers a slight bit of relief as families try to balance assisting their child with a disability, while helping to give them a sense of independence. In my own case, my wife and I have a 16 year old daughter with Autism and her future is always on our minds. Providing this small change in law will provide a much needed and appreciated support for families as we parent our adult children with disabilities and help them to reach their highest level of independence in their home communities.
Thank you Governor Noem for signing SB 182 and Senator Otten for bringing this measure to help families of people with disabilities.
This is all consistent with the Governor’s historical priorities of enhancing human dignity, ranging from human trafficking and people with disabilities. Even when I disagree with her, because of her human dignity perspective, I know we have common values.