[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6253325,"mediaKeyId","3181742-474925f99124cfdea885a884323d68ac","parentId",3181742,"title","Rep. Durfee seeks to move homestead-declaration deadline from Oct. 15 to March 15","audioSeconds",741,"startMs",328000,"endMs",1069000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3181742-474925f99124cfdea885a884323d68ac&start=328&end=1069","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3181742-474925f99124cfdea885a884323d68ac/thumbnail_328000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6253325/Vermont/Rep-Durfee-seeks-to-move-homestead-declaration-deadline-from-Oct-15-to-March-15","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6253325-7527a4e03d2ad6a0c0f675d4969b1f1d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183060&Signature=N6T4nlsrZs6xUUEVd~Pyv3MQNy5wbpR4ZceI~zfa1ePbtnL1fjSXO5LMkz3F3~43wbM9AWrzAElPP~cmqD-PCmwy8b33Oli7ESZe1ZdHVY9fwBG-d~5LCnW-tfejunl4QythginuJsFzMEYg5niUsiMad6qPIXM~sT-Lc8c-hNO50IvlJkRC3TUKuxArwl7SyHkrB8-UmPqzlr7mWhC74RuJqyZOPN1yK4sNJg4tk24qRxnD6YAk0L15hzoQp1QM~eDUcm8pY5iFXiJbhH-m-HPB9lkpHfAb~~M-5BtrkPy3EpW1fCGV9NyvCLzAVuorA6bLcS433KEZsssUhAXEog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-02T19:53:49.47Z","article","Rep. David Durfee, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, described a provision of bill H486 on Friday that would change the filing deadline for the annual homestead declaration.

\"The deadline in statute right now to do that is October 15,\" Durfee said, and his proposal would move that date back to March 15 or another later date that falls after individual income taxes are due. Durfee said the change is intended to reduce cases in which homeowners who miss the October deadline lose homestead benefits and have no statutory remedy.

Under current law, Durfee said, taxpayers file a homestead declaration and a separate property tax bill form; the two forms have different due dates after a statutory change a few years ago. He said that creates a situation in some municipalities where a homeowner who misses the Oct. 15 homestead declaration deadline cannot recover the benefit, and the statute gives the tax commissioner only broad discretion rather than a clear remedy for affected taxpayers.

Durfee described common reasons taxpayers miss the declaration: moving from out of state and using out-of-state accountants, commercial tax-preparation software that may not file the form, and taxpayers who do not file income taxes on the usual schedule. He said he discussed the issue with the tax commissioner, who was \"understanding\" of complaints but noted that relief must be applied uniformly rather than on a case-by-case basis.

Representative Sluts, speaking in the discussion, echoed concerns from municipal clerks and tax officials that repeatedly changing or staggering deadlines creates administrative burden. \"Their objection has been that when these things come out in dribs and drabs ... there's continuous rebuilding and paperwork back and forth that drives people nuts,\" Sluts said, and said the committee should work with tax officials to find a practical date.

Durfee said the committee previously explored whether filing the homestead declaration should be required every year if a homeowner’s status has not changed; he noted that statute briefly adopted that approach in the past but was later reversed and suggested the deputy commissioner Sam Roth could clarify that history.

The transcript does not record a committee vote on H486. Members asked questions about whether the change would apply only to new homeowners or to any resident claiming a property as a primary residence; Durfee said the requirement applies to any homeowner who occupies the property as a primary residence and that the declaration must be filed each year. No formal motion or amendment on H486 is recorded in the provided excerpt.

Durfee asked staff and interested members to coordinate with the tax department and local clerks to identify a workable date and to avoid imposing additional administrative burdens on municipalities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Ways and Means 2025-05-02 9:00AM","oneSentenceSummary","Rep. David Durfee described H486, a bill proposing to change the statutory filing deadline for the annual homestead declaration from Oct. 15 to March 15 to reduce taxpayers losing homestead benefits when they miss the October deadline.","taxTitle","Ways & Means, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35157,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6253330,"House members find H230 favorable; committee reports bill for referral",112,32000,144000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3181742-474925f99124cfdea885a884323d68ac&start=32&end=144","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3181742-474925f99124cfdea885a884323d68ac/thumbnail_32000.jpg","/articles/6253330/Vermont/House-members-find-H230-favorable-committee-reports-bill-for-referral","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6253330-245022bcc40899dc89b57e12042b3e17/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183060&Signature=WVJ3otRvwb2jKGbnaX11ITf4uA3U-HgeA14G3jtj3kbGpwkBSy--meThMSAn0Tc3ZVFtZlXK4OPhM2So-MFvDrWFRhq9ByMZl~C2tczF1yK9MQ7mPNTYKudltiBno66CFw7rHFGJ0~OvKIep-0f38sJ1Ls1sRjQdpaQ4jWR5esBXyQAQgpDaeSdQcjBdRG3~kMrKLMz~vGAxP5G2lDmmkhYpy0WyAYQCmal19Q5RGxObWy2wOQV9ipiZgths1BHvfRSGleT7cjQMax71ERr9zpjcbN4Btz25Ttpb0EDATy3E5hh8qg3rR4iLLwunqmsmfTrlsAfhFSRL0a4x1OxL8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House panel voted Friday to find H230 favorable and directed staff to send the bill to the clerk for referral.

The motion to find H230 favorable passed on a roll call that the committee recorded as \"7 3 1.\" Several members’ individual votes were read aloud during the roll call: Representative Brannick was recorded as \"no,\" Representative Burkhart as \"yes,\" Representative Felthitz as \"yes,\" and Representative Higley as \"no.\" Later statements during the roll call confirmed \"yes\" votes from Representative Kimball, Representative Madeline, Representative Odey, Representative Wozanzak and Representative Kornheiser. The formal tally announced at the conclusion of the roll call was 7 yes, 3 no, 1 (recorded as the remaining vote).

Representative Mazin reported the committee’s action and asked that the paperwork be provided promptly to the clerk so the bill could be referred at 09:30.

No amendment or substantive debate on H230 is recorded in the transcript excerpts provided. The committee’s action was procedural: finding the bill favorable and reporting it for the next stage of legislative processing.","A House panel voted to find H230 favorable on Friday and instructed staff to report the bill to the clerk for referral, with the roll call showing a 7-3-1 result.","actionData","errors"]

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Rep. Durfee seeks to move homestead-declaration deadline from Oct. 15 to March 15

House members find H230 favorable; committee reports bill for referral