HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4976
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two branches with reference
to the Senate amendment (striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof
the text contained in Senate document numbered 2826) of the House Bill honoring, empowering,
and recognizing our servicemembers and veterans (House, No. 4671), reports recommending
passage of the accompanying bill (House, No. 4976). August 1, 2024.
Michael J. Moran John C. Velis
Gerard J. Cassidy Michael F. Rush
Steven George Xiarhos Ryan C. Fattman
 FILED ON: 8/1/2024
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4976
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act honoring, empowering, and recognizing our servicemembers and veterans.
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to
forthwith honor, empower and recognize servicemembers and veterans in the commonwealth,
therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation
of the public convenience.
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 6A of chapter 2 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
2 official edition, is hereby amended by adding the following 3 paragraphs:-
3 (h) In the event of the death of any military service member performing military duty
4 under official orders, who is killed while in an active duty status, including, but not limited to, a
5 member of the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Coast Guard, United
6 States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States National Guard, United States Army
7 Reserves and United States Space Force, and residing in the commonwealth, from the day of
8 death until sunset of the day of interment, the flag of the commonwealth shall be flown at half-
9 staff in accordance with such orders or instructions as may be issued by, or at the direction of,
10 the governor.
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11 (i) In the event the remains of a POW or a MIA are repatriated within the commonwealth,
12 from the day of arrival within the commonwealth through the day of interment the flag of the
13 commonwealth shall be flown at half-staff.
14 (j) Annually, on national POW/MIA recognition day, observed on the third Friday of
15 September, from sunrise to sunset the flag of the commonwealth shall be flown at half-staff.
16 SECTION 2. Section 34 of said chapter 2, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking
17 out, in line 2, the word “department” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-
18 executive office.
19 SECTION 3. Subsection (d) of section 16DD of chapter 6A of the General Laws, as
20 appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 29, the second
21 time it appears, the word “department” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-
22 executive office.
23 SECTION 4. Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section
24 15ZZZZZZ the following 2 sections:-
25 Section. 15AAAAAAA. The governor shall set apart May 22 as United States Merchant
26 Marine Day in recognition of the establishment of the United States Merchant Marine on June
27 12, 1775, and shall annually issue a proclamation recommend that the day be observed in an
28 appropriate manner by the people.
29 Section 15BBBBBBB. The governor shall annually set apart December 20 as United
30 States Space Force Day, in recognition of the Space Force’s distinguished history and
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31 spacefaring service, and recommend that the day be observed in an appropriate manner by the
32 people.
33 SECTION 5. Said section 219 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further
34 amended by inserting after the word “leader”, in line 18, the second time it appears, the
35 following words:- ; 1 person appointed by the governor representing a veterans organization in
36 the commonwealth.
37 SECTION 6. Section 219 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
38 striking out, in line 8, the figure “21” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 23.
39 SECTION 7. Said section 219 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further
40 amended by inserting after the word “chair”, in line 10, the following words:- ; the secretary of
41 veterans' services or a designee.
42 SECTION 8. Section 105 of said chapter 6A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
43 striking out, in line 1, the words “a department” and inserting in place thereof the following
44 words:- an executive office.
45 SECTION 9. Chapter 6 is hereby amended by inserting after section 15ZZZZZZ the
46 following section:-
47 Section 15CCCCCCC. (a) The governor shall annually issue a proclamation on Memorial
48 Day in recognition of the sacrifices of Gold Star families in the commonwealth and the following
49 landmarks and bridges shall be illuminated in gold on Memorial Day to commemorate and
50 recognize the lives of those lost in military service, including, but not limited to:
51 (1) the Gold Star Families Bridge in the city of Lynn;
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52 (2) the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in the cities of Boston and
53 Cambridge;
54 (3) the Longfellow Bridge in the cities of Boston and Cambridge;
55 (4) the Fore River Bridge in the city of Quincy and the town of Weymouth; and
56 (5) the Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge in the city of Worcester and the town of
57 Shrewsbury.
58 (b) The governor, the department of transportation, the executive office of veterans’
59 services and the Military Friends Foundation shall establish policies and procedures necessary to
60 implement this section.
61 SECTION 10. Section 4G of chapter 7 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
62 amended by striking out, in lines 7 to 8, the words “the department of veterans’ services,”.
63 SECTION 11. Section 61 of said chapter 7 is hereby amended by striking out, in lines
64 124 and 125, as so appearing, the word “department” and inserting in place thereof the following
65 words:- executive office.
66 SECTION 12. Section 78 of chapter 10 of the General Laws is hereby amended by
67 inserting after the word "Reserve", in line 11, as so appearing, the following words:- , United
68 States Space Force.
69 SECTION 13. Section 17 of chapter 11 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
70 amended by striking out, in line 21, the word “department” and inserting in place thereof the
71 following words:- executive office.
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72 SECTION 14. Section 1G of chapter 15 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
73 amended by inserting after the word “students”, in line 86, the following words:- , including
74 military-connected students.
75 SECTION 15. Chapter 15D of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
76 section 7 the following section:-
77 Section 7A. For the purposes of this section, “military installation” shall mean a base,
78 camp, post, station, yard, center or other activity under the jurisdiction of the secretary of a
79 United States military department or, in the case of an activity in a foreign country, under the
80 operational control of the secretary of a United States military department or the United States
81 Secretary of Defense, regardless of the duration of operational control.
82 Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, sections 6
83 and 7 shall not apply to a childcare provider on a military installation or a facility licensed or
84 certified as a family child care provider by a branch of the United States Department of Defense
85 or by the United States Coast Guard.
86 SECTION 16. Said section 1 of said chapter 15E, as so appearing, is hereby further
87 amended by inserting after the word “Force”, in line 69, the following words:- , Space Force.
88 SECTION 17. Section 49 of chapter 31 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
89 amended by striking out, in lines 14 and 15, the words “home in the city of Chelsea” and
90 inserting in place thereof the following word:- homes.
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 91 SECTION 18. Paragraph (h) of subdivision (1) of section 4 of chapter 32 of the General
92 Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the fourth subparagraph and inserting
93 in place thereof the following subparagraph:-
94 Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or any other general or special law, rule or
95 regulation to the contrary, a member in service of a retirement system as defined in section 1
96 shall be provided written notice by the retirement board upon entry into service that if they
97 qualify as a veteran who served in the armed forces of the United States, they shall be entitled to
98 credit for active service in the armed services of the United States; provided, however, that such
99 active service shall not be credited until such member, prior to or within 1 year of vesting
100 pursuant to this chapter, has paid into the annuity savings fund of such system, in 1 sum or in
101 installments, upon such terms and conditions as the board may prescribe, makeup payments, for
102 each year of creditable service sought, of an amount equal to 10 per cent of the regular annual
103 compensation of the member when said member entered the retirement system; provided further,
104 that such creditable service shall not be construed to include service for more than 4 years; and
105 provided further, that such creditable service shall not be allowed for any period of active service
106 for which said veteran has received credit pursuant to this paragraph. This paragraph shall apply
107 to national guard and active reserve personnel, both former and present. Creditable service time,
108 both enlisted and commissioned, may be applied toward retirement on a ratio of 5 years of
109 national guard service or 5 years of active reserve service substitutable for each year of active
110 service. National guard and active reserve personnel shall not be precluded from making said
111 purchase if they qualify as a veteran after vesting or if they reach the maximum of 4 years of
112 eligible service purchase after vesting and qualifying as a veteran; provided, however, that they
113 enter into a purchase agreement within 5 years of the last occurring event.
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114 SECTION 19. Section 15 of chapter 33 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
115 amended by adding the following paragraph:-
116 (j) There shall be a military spouse liaison appointed by the adjutant general who shall
117 conduct outreach to and advocate on behalf of military spouses residing in the commonwealth.
118 The duties of the military spouse liaison shall include, but not be limited to: (i) providing
119 assistance and information to military spouses seeking professional licenses and credentials or
120 other employment the commonwealth; (ii) coordinating research on issues facing military
121 spouses; (iii) creating informational materials to assist military spouses and their families; (iv)
122 providing recommendations to assist spouses in accessing high quality child care; (v) developing
123 resources in coordination with military installations to increase access to high quality child care
124 for military families; and (vi) assisting military spouses with finding employment in relevant
125 sectors.
126 SECTION 20. Said chapter 33 is hereby further amended by striking out section 59, as
127 so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
128 Section 59. (a) An employee of the commonwealth in the service of the armed forces of
129 the commonwealth, the armed forces of another state or a reserve component of the armed forces
130 of the United States shall be entitled to receive pay without loss of ordinary remuneration as a
131 public employee during service in the uniformed services, annual training under section 60 or
132 drills and parades under section 61, or for an employee in the service of the armed forces of
133 another state, annual training, drills or parades under a corresponding law of that state, not
134 exceeding 40 days in any federal fiscal year, and shall not lose any seniority or any accrued
135 vacation leave, sick leave, personal leave, compensation time or earned overtime. For the
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136 purposes of this section, “uniformed services'' shall have the same meaning as in section 13. For
137 the purposes of this subsection, “day'' shall mean any 24–hour period regardless of calendar day.
138 SECTION 21. Section 67A of chapter 33 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
139 amended by adding the following paragraph:-
140 Next of kin of a fallen service member may apply to the adjutant general for a medal of
141 liberty, in a form prescribed by the adjutant general. There shall be within the application for the
142 medal of liberty a notification that informs applicants of their eligibility to receive the medal of
143 liberty license plate, pursuant to section 2 of chapter 90, free of charge upon approval of the
144 application. The notification shall read as follows: IF YOU RECEIVE THE MEDAL OF
145 LIBERTY, YOU ARE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE THE MEDAL OF LIBERTY LICENSE
146 PLATE FREE OF CHARGE. APPLY AT https://www.mass.gov/doc/application-for-medal-of-
147 liberty-plates.
148 SECTION 22. Subsection (b) of article 43 of chapter 33A of the General Laws, as so
149 appearing, is hereby amended by striking out paragraph (2) and inserting in place thereof the
150 following paragraph:-
151 (2) A person charged with an offense shall not be liable to be punished under article 15 if
152 the Massachusetts National Guard knew, or reasonably should have known, of the offense more
153 than 2 years before the imposition of punishment.
154 SECTION 23. Section 5 of chapter 59 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
155 amended by inserting after clause Twenty-second H the following 2 clauses:-
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156 Twenty-second I. In a city or town that accepts this clause and is certified by the
157 commissioner of revenue to be assessing all property at full and fair cash valuation, an abatement
158 granted pursuant clause Twenty-second, Twenty-second A, Twenty-second B, Twenty-second C,
159 Twenty-second E or Twenty-second F shall be increased annually by an amount equal to the
160 increase in the cost of living as determined by the Consumer Price Index for such year. The
161 department of revenue shall annually inform each city or town that accepts this clause of the
162 amount of such increase.
163 Twenty-second J. In a city or town that accepts this clause and is certified by the
164 commissioner of revenue to be assessing all property at full and fair cash valuation, a taxpayer
165 who otherwise qualifies for an exemption pursuant to clause Twenty-second, Twenty-second A,
166 Twenty-second B, Twenty-second C, Twenty-second E or Twenty-second F shall be granted an
167 additional exemption the amount of which shall not exceed 100 per cent of the exemption for
168 which the taxpayer qualifies, as may be determined by the legislative body of the city or town,
169 subject to its charter, not later than the beginning of the fiscal year to which the additional
170 exemption shall commence; provided, however, that the additional exemption shall be uniform
171 for all taxpayers who qualify for an exemption under said clause Twenty-second, Twenty-second
172 A, Twenty-second B, Twenty-second C, Twenty-second E or Twenty-second F. Once accepted,
173 the amount of the exemption shall continue until amended by the legislative body of the city or
174 town. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, the exemption shall be in
175 addition to any exemption allowable pursuant to this section; provided, however, the taxable
176 valuation of the property receiving an exemption pursuant to this clause, after all applicable
177 exemptions, shall not be reduced below 10 per cent of its full and fair cash valuation, except
178 through the applicability of clause Eighteenth. Acceptance of this clause by a city or town shall
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179 not increase the amount that the city or town otherwise would have been reimbursed by the
180 commonwealth pursuant to the clause. The additional exemption contained within this clause
181 shall not be implemented in any year in which the city or town has also accepted section 5C1/2.
182 SECTION 24. Section 1 of chapter 60A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
183 amended by striking out, in lines 101 to 103, inclusive, the words “medical advisory board
184 established under section 8C of chapter 90 to be permanently disabled”, and inserting in place
185 thereof the following words:- United States Department of Veterans Affairs to: (i) hav