SENATE POISED TO PASS VALOR II ACT TO ASSIST VETERANS
By Matt Murphy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 9, 2013….
The Senate on Thursday will consider a raft of proposals extending tax breaks, employment opportunities and new specialty license plates and medals to veterans and their families in time for next month’s celebration of Veterans Day.
The Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs released newly written legislation on Wednesday packaging 14 different proposals into a single bill. The bill then quickly passed through the Senate Ways and Means Committee and Senate President Therese Murray said the Senate would vote on the bill (S 1876) Thursday when it convenes in a formal session, dubbing the bill “VALOR II,” a sequel to last year’s VALOR Act.
The bill, written by Sen. Michael Rush, of West Roxbury, and Rep. Carlo Basile, of East Boston, would allow veterans enrolled in college and called away on active duty to delay their coursework without penalty or withdraw from courses with a full refund of fees and tuition.
The buffer zone around military funerals to prevent disruptions would be doubled to 1,000 feet, and a local program created by the 2012 VALOR Act allowing cities and towns to offer property tax discounts to veterans that volunteer services to the community would be expanded to include spouses of deceased or disabled veterans.
“It’s an excellent bill, excellent. They’ve put an awful lot of work in and I’m very proud of them,” Murray said.
House and Senate leaders routinely organize to pass legislation around Veterans Day to honor those from Massachusetts who have served in the military, and fill bills with non-controversial measures that unite lawmakers from both parties and parts of the state.
This bill is no different, adding the Massachusetts Marine Corps League to the list of 13 veteran-related public charities exempt from paying fees to register with the Attorney General’s office, redesigning the Purple Heart specialty license plate, issuing new “Support Our Veterans” license plates and allowing the registrar to customize Gold Star Family plates with distinctive registrations of up to six characters.
Rush, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves, said the bill contained “good, common sense” proposals that had been vetted with Democrats, Republicans, the Patrick administration, and the veterans community. He said he hoped to have it on Gov. Deval Patrick’s desk before Nov. 11.
“The thing is we have been now for a while number one of all 50 states in the benefits we give to veterans and their families and have always been at the forefront from the Civil War onwards. Being consistent, we on the committee had a goal of not resting on our laurels and continuing to move forward,” Rush said.
Costs associated with the bill are embedded in proposals to begin training and certifying veterans’ benefits and service officers, and for a two-year pilot project to explore the creation of a veterans’ court in Massachusetts to handle minor offense cases involving military veterans.
The bill appropriates $350,000 for officer training and another $100,000 for the court pilot project in fiscal 2014.
The Medal of Liberty - awarded to next-of-kin of service men and women killed in action - would be extended to those who don’t necessarily meet the Department of Defense definition of “Killed in Action,” including those who die as a result of vehicle crashes or friendly fire.
The bill would also waive initial application fees for veterans seeking professional licenses or certifications in Massachusetts, and establish a home modification program for disabled veterans to help them “function more independently in their homes and in the community.”
Other highlights of the bill include:
Creation of a Service member Post-Deployment Council to recommend support programs for veterans transitioning to civilian life.
Guidance for hospitals and ambulance providers to identify veterans and service members in order to treat veterans with “unique mental health triggers.”
Creation of a special commission to establish a state office of veterans’ employment and business assistance;
Creation of a special commission to develop a long-term care and housing master plan;
Protections for private employers with preference hiring for veterans or spouses of fully disabled veterans;