SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - One Utah legislator is now taking action against meth.
Senator Karen Mayne’s Senate Bill 132 creates a special tax check-off box and money from that would go to re-building abandoned meth houses.
Not too long ago, one west side Salt Lake home we visited used to look like the meth house it was.
But now its being called "a castle" by some.
In fact, the woman who now lives there calls it a dream come true.
That old meth house was re-built by Habitat for Humanity and what it did for that house, Senator Mayne now wants it to do for meth houses all over the state.
Mayne told ABC 4 News, "Look at your communities. See those homes that are just sitting. Give us the ability to help you."
Mayne's bill would create a tax check-off box on your state form.
Money from that check-off would help Habitat totally re-build old meth houses.
Ed Blake of Habitat for Humanity says, "This is typically a single mom that has a good job, has good credit, everything, just needs a little bit of help...basically to find one home to live in where she's not moving all the time when the rent changes."
But even though Thursday a senate committee unanimously approved this meth house tax check-off bill, it’s likely to be approved only for a one year test program.
As a rule, legislators have concerns about adding too many check-off boxes to your taxes.
But seeing what has already happened with houses like this, lawmakers appear willing to give this pilot program a try.
As that west side home owner told ABC 4, "Without Habitat, I will never have had a house in my life. So, the Habitat is a good program, I am so grateful for that."
In others words, with a little Habitat help, a woman's home can be her castle.
To learn more about Habitat for Humanity, go to
http://www.habitat.org/.
