Panel backs bill letting localities extend tax deadlines for furloughed federal workers

The House Finance Subcommittee 2 voted to report House Bill 9-15 as amended, a measure that would permit local governments to grant 90-day extensions on personal-property-tax deadlines for furloughed federal employees and provide automatic 90-day post-deployment extensions for service members returning from overseas.

Delegate Lopez presented the amendment adding explicit coverage for ‘‘essential’’ federal employees who were required to work during a federal government shutdown but did not receive immediate pay. Lopez said the change clarifies that those workers can request local deadline extensions to avoid immediate financial harm while awaiting back pay.

Wendy Ginsberg, representing the City of Alexandria, testified in support and described Alexandria as home to more than 13,000 federal employees. Ginsberg said shutdowns cause “immeasurable and immediate harm to the workers and families who live in our community” and urged the subcommittee to approve the amendment to give local treasurers authority to grant predictable relief.

Committee members asked statutory and administrative questions about which local officials would administer the extensions; Delegate Ware said the change is ‘‘in keeping with the purposes of the statute’’ and described the measure as a permissive tool for localities. The clerk recorded a roll-call vote and the subcommittee reported the bill as amended by a 9-2-0 vote.

The bill is permissive: it authorizes local governments to adopt a policy to grant the extension upon request rather than creating a statewide automatic rule. Reported bills advance to the full committee for further consideration.