Virginia soldier tax exemption amendment passes

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) -- A new amendment in Virginia just passed that would allow spouses of servicemembers to receive certain property tax exemptions if the servicemember died in the line of duty. Previous Coverage: Virginia lawmakers urge voters to approve Constitutional Amendment on November ballot Election Day was Nov. 5 and the new bi-partisan constitutional amendment made its way onto Virginian ballots. Before the amendment passes, only spouses of servicemembers who were "killed in action" were exempt from certain property taxes. The new amendment expands which surviving spouses are eligible for property tax exemption to include spouses of servicemembers that died in the line of duty. The question was posed as follows: "Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?" To vote "yes" allowed the surviving spouse of a soldier who died in the line of duty to claim the same property tax exemption on their principal place of residence that was already available to surviving spouses of soldiers who are killed in action.