National News
SALT Index/Marriage Penalty Bill Introduced:
NAR sent a letter thanking Representative MacArthur (R-NJ) for introducing H.R. 5913, The Family Tax Deduction Improvement Act. The legislation is designed to further strengthen the significant tax relief delivered by last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in two ways. First, it would remove the inadvertent marriage penalty currently in the limitation of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction by doubling to $20,000 the amount for married couples filing a joint return. Second, it would index the SALT deduction limitations for future inflation. This was a Talking Point at May’s DC Legislative Meeting.
NFIP Extension Passes House
A vote on NFIP extension finally came and passed the House 366-52, with Congressman Mike Turner voting yes on the extension and Congressman Warren Davidson voting no. Following the vote, NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall gave the following statement:
“Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States. Without an extension of authority, the National Flood Insurance Program cannot write or renew flood insurance in 22,000 communities nationwide. The bill passed by the House today ensures the program remains available to those Americans who rely upon it, while enabling Congress to continue working toward a long-term reauthorization and reform measure. We urge the Senate to take swift action on this bill before the program expires on July 31.”
State News
The Dayton region saw a change in representation in the State House since State Rep. Jeff Rezabek was appointed by Gov. Kasich to serve as Montgomery County Juvenile Judge. J. Todd Smith was sworn in to replace Jeff as the office holder for the 43rd House District. Rep. Smith will face Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley for the seat in November.
In an order issued on July 24, a Cuyahoga Common Pleas judge has struck down an ordinance increasing the occupancy fee charged by the City of East Cleveland on residential rental units from $10 to $100 per unit as an unconstitutional tax.
The lawsuit challenging the amended ordinance was brought by landlords who own several large apartment buildings, some containing as many as 420 units. The ordinance effectively raised the annual fees that landlords would be charged for an occupancy permit by 900 percent. The plaintiffs argued that because the city was not providing any service for the fee, such as inspections, the fee was an illegal tax on rental property owners. The court agreed.
Local News
The City of Oakwood revised its ordinance on residential group rentals to include additional ways in which the city could determine whether occupants within a rental exceeded the amount of allowable unrelated individuals to live in the rental. Dayton REALTORS®, alongside Miami Valley Fair Housing, cited issues with the proposal and advocated for changes to be made. Changes that were made included uncapping the number of individuals with disabilities that would be able to live together.
