General Assembly Committee Bill No. 70
January Session, 2013 LCO No. 3865
*03865SB00070VA_*
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
General Assembly
Committee Bill No. 70
January Session, 2013
LCO No. 3865
*03865SB00070VA_*
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
AN ACT RESTORING BENEFITS TO VETERANS DISCHARGED UNDER "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL".
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2013) (a) For purposes of this section, "veteran" means any person discharged or released from active service in the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103 of the general statutes, regardless of his or her discharge classification.
(b) If the federal government acts to reinstate eligibility for benefits to discharged veterans, regardless of their discharge classification, who have been or otherwise would be denied such benefits solely on the basis of sexual orientation pursuant to any current or former federal policy prohibiting homosexual personnel from serving in the armed forces, the state shall reinstate eligibility for any state benefits such veterans were or otherwise would be denied due to those federal policies.
(b) To the extent practicable, the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall (1) provide information on its web site regarding legal services organizations that assist veterans in military discharge upgrades, including, but not limited to, links to such organizations' web sites, and (2) provide printed resources concerning methods for obtaining military discharge upgrades that are created by such legal services organizations to veterans at the department's offices and facilities and disseminate such resources to local veterans' advisory committees, as described in section 27-135 of the general statutes.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2013 New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2013
New section
Statement of Purpose:
To ensure that Connecticut law pertaining to veterans' benefits is consistent with current federal law after the repeal of 10 USC 654, commonly known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.".
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.; REP. HOLDER-WINFIELD, 94th Dist. SEN. STILLMAN, 20th Dist.
Co-Sponsors:
SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.; REP. HOLDER-WINFIELD, 94th Dist.
SEN. STILLMAN, 20th Dist.
S.B. 70