HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4685 FILED ON: 11/9/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4172
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
STATE HOUSE · BOSTON, MA 02133
(617) 725-4000
MAURA T. HEALEY KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL
GOVERNOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
November 9, 2023
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,
I am pleased to submit for your consideration An Act Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing
our Servicemembers and Veterans.
On March 1, 2023, our administration established the Executive Office of Veterans Services
(EOVS), reaffirming our commitments to veterans who have sacrificed and served their nation,
and to provide an increased level of oversight, accountability, and professionalism. This
important step was made possible because of the leadership of the Legislature, and we are
grateful for their partnership in our efforts to improve veteran services across the state.
The Healey-Driscoll administration has completed a robust engagement process to better
understand the legislative and programmatic priorities of the veteran community. I am proud to
say that the administration has engaged with over 75 Veterans Service Officers representing over
100 municipalities, heard from over 30 nonprofit partners, and conducted a 50-state review of
veteran policy and legislative efforts. The legislation I am filing today consists of proposals
aimed at expanding veterans’ benefits, increasing inclusivity, and modernizing services.
The legislation will increase benefits and opportunities for veterans, including by:
1. Increasing the annuity paid to disabled veterans, surviving spouses, or Gold Star parents
from $2,000 to $2,500.
2. Allowing veterans who lack other options to be reimbursed for behavioral health
services.
3. Increasing the tax credit for employers who hire eligible veterans from $2,000 to $2,500.
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 4. Giving municipalities options to increase property tax exemptions for veterans, by
doubling the existing exemption for veterans alone and/or tying the exemption to
inflation.
5. Lengthening the timeframe in which veterans in public service can pay to have up to four
years of active-duty service time count toward their state retirement.
This legislation will redouble our commitment to inclusivity and greater representation of all our
veterans, including by:
1. Broadening the definition of veteran by aligning the state Chapter 115 program definition
of a veteran with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) definition,
allowing EOVS to serve more veterans.
2. Expanding the scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board to allow individuals
discharged on the basis of additional protected classes (including race/ethnicity, color,
religious creed, national origin, age, and disability) to become eligible for state veterans
benefits.
3. Providing, through a two-year pilot program, in vitro fertilization (IVF) reimbursement to
disabled same-sex women veterans who have been denied IVF reimbursement by the VA
solely because they are in a same-sex marriage.
And this legislation will modernize our approach to serving veterans, including by:
1. Revising Chapter 115 and 115A to ensure gender neutral and inclusive language while
removing antiquated references.
2. Creating a public-private working group to study the health benefits of psychedelics as
treatment for veterans suffering physical or mental disorders related to their service.
Our veterans answered the call to serve our state and country, and they deserve the utmost
dignity, respect, and support for their service. This bill reaffirms the Commonwealth’s
commitment to supporting all of our servicemembers and their families.
I urge your favorable consideration of this legislation.
Respectfully submitted,
Maura T. Healey,
Governor
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 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4172
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act honoring, empowering, and recognizing our servicemembers and veterans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 34 of chapter 2 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
2 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the word “department” and
3 inserting in place thereof the following words:- executive office.
4 SECTION 2. Subsection (d) of section 16DD of chapter 6A of the General Laws, as so
5 appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 29, the word “department” and inserting in
6 place thereof the following words:- executive office.
7 SECTION 3. Section 105 of said chapter 6A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
8 striking out, in line 1, the word “department” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-
9 executive office.
10 SECTION 4. Section 4G of chapter 7 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
11 amended by striking out, in lines 7 to 8, the words “the department of veterans’ services”.
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12 SECTION 5. Subsection (k) of section 61 of said chapter 7, as so appearing, is hereby
13 amended by striking out, in lines 124 to 125, the word “department” and inserting in place
14 thereof the following words:- executive office.
15 SECTION 6. Paragraph 2 of section 17 of chapter 11 of the General Laws, as so
16 appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 21, the word “department” and inserting in
17 place thereof the following words:- executive office.
18 SECTION 7. Section 49 of chapter 31 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
19 amended by striking out, in lines 14 to 15, the words “in the City of Chelsea”.
20 SECTION 8. Subsection (h) of said section 4 of said chapter 32, as so appearing, is
21 hereby amended by inserting after the words “United States shall be”, in lines 148 to 149, the
22 following words:- provided written notice by the retirement board upon entry into service that
23 they are.
24 SECTION 9. Said subsection (h) of said section 4 of said chapter 32, as so appearing, is
25 hereby further amended by inserting after the word “member”, in line 151, the following words:-
26 prior to or within 1 year of vesting pursuant to this chapter.
27 SECTION 10. Section 5 of chapter 59 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
28 amended by inserting after clause Twenty-second H the following 2 clauses:-
29 Twenty-second I. In a city or town that accepts this section and is certified by the
30 commissioner to be assessing all property at full and fair cash valuation, an abatement granted
31 pursuant clause Twenty-second, Twenty-second A, Twenty-second B, Twenty-second C,
32 Twenty-second E or Twenty-second F shall be increased annually by an amount equal to the
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33 increase in the cost of living as determined by the Consumer Price Index for such year. The
34 department of revenue shall annually inform each city or town that accepts this clause of the
35 amount of this increase.
36 Twenty-second J. In a city or town that accepts this section and is certified by the
37 commissioner to be assessing all property at full and fair cash valuation, a taxpayer who
38 otherwise qualifies for an exemption pursuant clause Twenty-second, Twenty-second A,
39 Twenty-second B, Twenty-second C, Twenty-second E or Twenty-second F shall be granted an
40 additional exemption that shall be uniform for all herein named exemptions and the amount of
41 which shall not exceed 100 per cent of the exemption for which the taxpayer qualifies, as may be
42 determined by the legislative body of the city or town, subject to its charter, not later than the
43 beginning of the fiscal year to which the additional exemption shall commence. Once accepted,
44 the amount of the exemption shall continue until amended by the legislative body of the city or
45 town. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, the exemption shall be in
46 addition to any exemption allowable pursuant to said section 5; provided, however, that in no
47 instance shall the taxable valuation of the property, after all applicable exemptions, be reduced
48 below 10 per cent of its full and fair cash valuation, except through the applicability of clause
49 Eighteenth of said section 5. Acceptance of this section by a city or town shall not increase the
50 amount that it otherwise would have been reimbursed by the commonwealth pursuant to the
51 respective clause. The additional exemption contained within this section shall not be
52 implemented in any year in which the city or town has also accepted the section 5C1/2 of chapter
53 59.
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54 SECTION 11. Paragraph (1) of subsection (u) of section 6 of chapter 62 of the General
55 Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1113, the figure “2,000” and
56 inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 2,500.
57 SECTION 12. Paragraph (4) of said subsection (u) of said section 6 of said chapter 62,
58 as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1130, the figure “2,000” and inserting
59 in place thereof the following figure:- 2,500.
60 SECTION 13. Subsection (a) of section 38GG of chapter 63 of the General Laws, as so
61 appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 8, the figure “2,000” and inserting in place
62 thereof the following figure:- 2,500.
63 SECTION 14. Subsection (d) of said section 38GG of said chapter 63, as so appearing, is
64 hereby amended by striking out, in line 24, the figure “2,000” and inserting in place thereof the
65 following figure:- 2,500.
66 SECTION 15. Section 6 of chapter 64H of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
67 amended by striking out subsection (u) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
68 (u) Sale of a motor vehicle purchased by and for the use of a person who has suffered
69 loss, or permanent loss of use of, both legs or both arms or one leg and one arm or by and for the
70 use of a veteran who has been determined to be permanently disabled by the medical advisory
71 board established under section 8C of chapter 90 and has been issued a disabled veteran number
72 plate or a purple heart recipient plate under section 2 of said chapter 90; provided that this
73 exemption shall apply to 1 motor vehicle only owned and registered for the personal,
74 noncommercial use of such person. A person issued a purple heart recipient plate shall not have
75 to forfeit their purple heart recipient plate for a disabled veteran number plate in order to receive
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76 the exemption from the tax in this paragraph. A person issued a purple heart recipient plate and a
77 disability placard shall receive the exemption from the tax in this subsection.
78 SECTION 16. Section 4 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
79 amended by striking out, in lines 32 and 39, each time it appears, the word “department” and
80 inserting in place thereof the following words:- executive office.
81 SECTION 17. Section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
82 amended by striking out the words “pleasure passenger vehicles owned by veterans who,
83 according to the records of the United States Veterans’ Administration, has been determined to
84 have a service-connected disability rating of 60 per cent or greater and by reason of service in the
85 armed forces of the United States have suffered loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet;
86 or loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands; or permanent impairment of vision of both
87 eyes of the following status: central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, with
88 corrective glasses, or central visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a field defect in which
89 the peripheral field has contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of visual field
90 subtends an angular distance no greater than twenty degrees in the better eye, or any other
91 disability or handicap of such veterans which may be determined by the medical advisory board
92 as established by section eight C, and”.
93 SECTION 18. The seventh paragraph of said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so
94 appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the third and fourth sentences.
95 SECTION 19. Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further
96 amended by striking out the words “and the words “Disabled Veteran” for a pleasure passenger
97 vehicle or a pick-up truck owned or leased by and used by a veteran who, according to the
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 98 records of the United States Veterans’ Administration, by reason of service in the armed forces
99 of the United States has suffered loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet; or loss or
100 permanent loss of use of one or both hands; or permanent impairment of vision of both eyes of
101 the following status: central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, with corrective
102 glasses, or central visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a field defect in which the
103 peripheral field has contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of visual field subtends
104 an angular distance no greater that 20 degrees in the better eye, or any other disability or
105 handicap”.
106 SECTION 20. Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further
107 amended by striking out the twelfth paragraph.
108 SECTION 21. Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further
109 amended by striking out the fifteenth through seventeenth, inclusive, paragraphs.
110 SECTION 22. Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further
111 amended by striking out the nineteenth through twenty-second, inclusive, paragraphs.
112 SECTION 23. Chapter 90 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
113 section 2I the following section:-
114 Section 2J. (a) The registrar is hereby authorized, required, and directed to design and
115 maintain a series on distinct and individual license plates recognizing those who have served in
116 the military and for those who deserve special recognition relating to or deriving from military
117 service. Any veteran meeting the definition of a veteran in clause forty-third of section 7 of
118 chapter 4, or section 1 of chapter 115, or is eligible for the annuity provided under section 6C of
119 chapter 115, shall be eligible and entitled to a veteran plate which shall carry the denotation
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120 “VETERAN”, upon presentation of satisfactory evidence of such status as determined by the
121 registrar.
122 (b) Veterans ranked as at least 60 per cent disabled by the United States Veterans
123 Administration, including those who have suffered the loss of a limb, permanent visual acuity
124 loss of 20/200 in an eye, or are otherwise determined to be disabled or handicapped by the
125 medical advisory board established in section 8C, shall be entitled to a distinctive disabled
126 veteran plate.
127 (c) Veterans who have been captured and incarcerated by foreign forces in conflict or
128 held as prisoners of war shall be entitled to a distinctive plate recognizing that status.
129 (d) Veterans who are members of the Legion of Valor of the United States Inc. shall be
130 entitled to a distinctive plate recognizing that status. Residents of the commonwealth awarded
131 the Congressional Medal of Honor shall be entitled to a distinctive plate recognizing that status,
132 including, subject to availability, the use of the initials of the award recipient followed by CMH
133 signifying their award.
134 (e) Veterans entitled to a distinctive plate shall be entitled to have a distinctive emblem or
135 decal reflecting service in Operation Enduring Freedom, the receipt of the Iraqi Freedom
136 Campaign Ribbon, an Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, a Persian Gulf Campaign Ribbon, the
137 receipt of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Inherent
138 Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service
139 Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Prisoner of War Medal.
140 (f) Veterans awarded the Order of the Purple Heart shall be entitled to a distinctive plate
141 indicating that status which shall include the words “COMBAT WOUNDED.”
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142 (g) Survivors of the attack upon Pearl Harbor shall be entitled to a distinctive plate
143 reflecting that status and also bearing the word “VETERAN” thereupon.
144 (h) Residents of the commonwealth serving in the national guard, any branch, shall be
145 entitled to a distinctive plate reflecting that status.
146 (i) Residents of the commonwealth a