Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00918 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/17/2021

                        
 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667  	1 of 41 
 
 General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 918  
January Session, 2021 
LCO No. 3667 
 
 
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(VA)  
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E DEFINITION OF VETERAN. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 27-103 of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2 
1, 2021): 3 
(a) As used in the general statutes, except chapter 504, and except as 4 
otherwise provided: (1) "Armed forces" means the United States Army, 5 
Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force and any reserve 6 
component thereof, including the Connecticut National Guard 7 
performing duty as provided in Title 32 of the United States Code, as 8 
amended from time to time; (2) "veteran" means any person (A) 9 
honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 10 
from active service in, the armed forces, [;] (B) with a qualifying 11 
condition, as defined in this section, who has received a discharge other 12 
than bad conduct or dishonorable from active service in the armed 13 
forces, or (C) with an administrative decision from the United States 14 
Department of Veteran Affairs stating the veteran's service is honorable 15 
or honorable for said department's purposes; (3) "service in time of war" 16  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	2 of 41 
 
means service of ninety or more cumulative days during a period of war 17 
unless separated from service earlier because of an injury incurred or 18 
aggravated in the line of duty or a service-connected disability rated by 19 
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, except that if the 20 
period of war lasted less than ninety days, "service in time of war" 21 
means service for the entire such period of war unless separated because 22 
of any such injury or disability; (4) "period of war" has the same meaning 23 
as provided in 38 USC 101, as amended from time to time, except that 24 
the "Vietnam Era" means the period beginning on February 28, 1961, and 25 
ending on July 1, 1975, in all cases; and "period of war" shall include 26 
service while engaged in combat or a combat support role in Lebanon, 27 
July 1, 1958, to November 1, 1958, or September 29, 1982, to March 30, 28 
1984; Grenada, October 25, 1983, to December 15, 1983; Operation 29 
Earnest Will, involving the escort of Kuwaiti oil tankers flying the 30 
United States flag in the Persian Gulf, July 24, 1987, to August 1, 1990; 31 
and Panama, December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990, and shall include 32 
service during such periods with the armed forces of any government 33 
associated with the United States; and (5) "qualifying condition" means 34 
a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury 35 
made by, or an experience of military sexual trauma, as described in 38 36 
USC 1720D, as amended from time to time, disclosed to, an individual 37 
licensed to provide health care services at a United States Department 38 
of Veterans Affairs facility. 39 
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 1-219 of the general statutes is 40 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 41 
1, 2021): 42 
(a) As used in this section: (1) "Armed forces" means the Army, Navy, 43 
Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Air Force of the United States; (2) 44 
"veteran" [means any person honorably discharged from, or released 45 
under honorable conditions from active service or reserve status in the 46 
armed forces] has the same meaning provided in section 27-103, as 47 
amended by this act; (3) "military discharge document" means a United 48 
States Department of Defense form, including, but not limited to, a DD 49 
214 form, or any valid paper that evidences the service, discharge or 50  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	3 of 41 
 
retirement of a veteran from the armed forces that contains personal 51 
information such as a service number or Social Security number; (4) 52 
"person" means any individual or entity, including, but not limited to, a 53 
relative of a veteran, a licensed funeral director or embalmer, an 54 
attorney-at-law, an attorney-in-fact, an insurance company or a 55 
veterans' advocate; and (5) "public agency" or "agency" means a public 56 
agency, as defined in section 1-200. 57 
Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 4-61bb of the general statutes is 58 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 59 
1, 2021): 60 
(a) For the purposes of this section, "licensing authority" means the 61 
Department of Consumer Protection, the Department of Emergency 62 
Services and Public Protection, the Labor Department, the Department 63 
of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Public Health, the Board of 64 
Regents for Higher Education, the Office of Higher Education, the Board 65 
of Trustees of The University of Connecticut or the Police Officer 66 
Standards and Training Council; "service member" means a member of 67 
the armed forces or the National Guard or a veteran; "armed forces" has 68 
the same meaning as [set forth] provided in section 27-103, as amended 69 
by this act; and "veteran" [means any person who was discharged or 70 
released under conditions other than dishonorable from active service 71 
in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in section 27-72 
103, as amended by this act. 73 
Sec. 4. Subsection (c) of section 4a-59 of the general statutes is 74 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 75 
1, 2021): 76 
(c) All open market orders or contracts shall be awarded to (1) the 77 
lowest responsible qualified bidder, the qualities of the articles to be 78 
supplied, their conformity with the specifications, their suitability to the 79 
requirements of the state government and the delivery terms being 80 
taken into consideration and, at the discretion of the Commissioner of 81 
Administrative Services, life-cycle costs and trade-in or resale value of 82  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	4 of 41 
 
the articles may be considered where it appears to be in the best interest 83 
of the state, (2) the highest scoring bidder in a multiple criteria bid, in 84 
accordance with the criteria set forth in the bid solicitation for the 85 
contract, or (3) the proposer whose proposal is deemed by the awarding 86 
authority to be the most advantageous to the state, in accordance with 87 
the criteria set forth in the request for proposals, including price and 88 
evaluation factors. Notwithstanding any provision of the general 89 
statutes to the contrary, each state agency awarding a contract through 90 
competitive negotiation shall include price as an explicit factor in the 91 
criteria in the request for proposals and for the contract award. In 92 
considering past performance of a bidder for the purpose of 93 
determining the "lowest responsible qualified bidder" or the "highest 94 
scoring bidder in a multiple criteria bid", the commissioner shall 95 
evaluate the skill, ability and integrity of the bidder in terms of the 96 
bidder's fulfillment of past contract obligations and the bidder's 97 
experience or lack of experience in delivering supplies, materials, 98 
equipment or contractual services of the size or amount for which bids 99 
have been solicited. In determining the lowest responsible qualified 100 
bidder for the purposes of this section, the commissioner may give a 101 
price preference of up to ten per cent for (A) the purchase of goods made 102 
with recycled materials or the purchase of recyclable or remanufactured 103 
products if the commissioner determines that such preference would 104 
promote recycling or remanufacturing. As used in this subsection, 105 
"recyclable" means able to be collected, separated or otherwise 106 
recovered from the solid waste stream for reuse, or for use in the 107 
manufacture or assembly of another package or product, by means of a 108 
recycling program which is reasonably available to at least seventy-five 109 
per cent of the state's population, "remanufactured" means restored to 110 
its original function and thereby diverted from the solid waste stream 111 
by retaining the bulk of components that have been used at least once 112 
and by replacing consumable components and "remanufacturing" 113 
means any process by which a product is remanufactured; (B) the 114 
purchase of motor vehicles powered by a clean alternative fuel; (C) the 115 
purchase of motor vehicles powered by fuel other than a clean 116 
alternative fuel and conversion equipment to convert such motor 117  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	5 of 41 
 
vehicles allowing the vehicles to be powered by either the exclusive use 118 
of clean alternative fuel or dual use of a clean alternative fuel and a fuel 119 
other than a clean alternative fuel. As used in this subsection, "clean 120 
alternative fuel" means natural gas, electricity, hydrogen or propane 121 
when used as a motor vehicle fuel; or (D) the purchase of goods or 122 
services from a micro business, except that, in the case of a veteran-123 
owned micro business, the commissioner may give a price preference of 124 
up to fifteen per cent. As used in this subsection, "micro business" means 125 
a business with gross revenues not exceeding three million dollars in the 126 
most recently completed fiscal year, "veteran-owned micro business" 127 
means a micro business of which at least fifty-one per cent of the 128 
ownership is held by one or more veterans and "veteran" [means any 129 
person (i) honorably discharged from, or released under honorable 130 
conditions from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 131 
27-103, or (ii) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who 132 
has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from 133 
active service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 134 
section 27-103, as amended by this act. All other factors being equal, 135 
preference shall be given to supplies, materials and equipment 136 
produced, assembled or manufactured in the state and services 137 
originating and provided in the state. Except with regard to contracts 138 
that may be paid for with United States Department of Transportation 139 
funds, if any such bidder refuses to accept, within ten days, a contract 140 
awarded to such bidder, such contract may be awarded to the next 141 
lowest responsible qualified bidder or the next highest scoring bidder in 142 
a multiple criteria bid, whichever is applicable, and so on until such 143 
contract is awarded and accepted. Except with regard to contracts that 144 
may be paid for with United States Department of Transportation funds, 145 
if any such proposer refuses to accept, within ten days, a contract 146 
awarded to such proposer, such contract shall be awarded to the next 147 
most advantageous proposer, and so on until the contract is awarded 148 
and accepted. There shall be a written evaluation made of each bid. This 149 
evaluation shall identify the vendors and their respective costs and 150 
prices, document the reason why any vendor is deemed to be 151 
nonresponsive and recommend a vendor for award. A contract valued 152  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	6 of 41 
 
at one million dollars or more shall be awarded to a bidder other than 153 
the lowest responsible qualified bidder or the highest scoring bidder in 154 
a multiple criteria bid, whichever is applicable, only with written 155 
approval signed by the Commissioner of Administrative Services and 156 
by the Comptroller. The commissioner shall post on the department's 157 
Internet web site all awards made pursuant to the provisions of this 158 
section. 159 
Sec. 5. Subsection (b) of section 7-294d of the general statutes is 160 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 161 
1, 2021): 162 
(b) No person may be employed as a police officer by any law 163 
enforcement unit for a period exceeding one year unless such person 164 
has been certified under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section 165 
or has been granted an extension by the council. No person may serve 166 
as a police officer during any period when such person's certification 167 
has been cancelled or revoked pursuant to the provisions of subsection 168 
(c) of this section. In addition to the requirements of this subsection, the 169 
council may establish other qualifications for the employment of police 170 
officers and require evidence of fulfillment of these qualifications. The 171 
certification of any police officer who is not employed by a law 172 
enforcement unit for a period of time in excess of two years, unless such 173 
officer is on leave of absence, shall be considered lapsed. Upon 174 
reemployment as a police officer, such officer shall apply for 175 
recertification in a manner provided by the council, provided such 176 
recertification process requires the police officer to submit to a urinalysis 177 
drug test that screens for controlled substances, including, but not 178 
limited to, anabolic steroids, and receive a result indicating no presence 179 
of any controlled substance not prescribed for the officer. The council 180 
shall certify any applicant who presents evidence of satisfactory 181 
completion of a program or course of instruction in another state or, if 182 
the applicant is a veteran or a member of the armed forces or the 183 
National Guard, as part of training during service in the armed forces, 184 
that is equivalent in content and quality to that required in this state, 185 
provided such applicant passes an examination or evaluation as 186  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	7 of 41 
 
required by the council. For the purposes of this section, "veteran" 187 
[means any person who was discharged or released under conditions 188 
other than dishonorable from active service in the armed forces] and 189 
"armed forces" [has] have the same [meaning] meanings as provided in 190 
section 27-103, as amended by this act. 191 
Sec. 6. Section 8-75 of the general statutes is repealed and the 192 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 193 
As among applicants eligible for occupancy at the rent involved 194 
whose needs for housing accommodations are substantially equal, as 195 
determined by the developer, preference shall be given to veterans. As 196 
used in this section, "veteran" [means any person (1) honorably 197 
discharged from, or released under honorable conditions from active 198 
service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or (2) with a 199 
qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has received a 200 
discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active service in 201 
the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of 202 
section 27-103, as amended by this act. 203 
Sec. 7. Subsection (c) of section 10-5 of the general statutes is repealed 204 
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 205 
(c) No (1) veteran, as defined in section 27-103, as amended by this 206 
act, (2) member of the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, as 207 
amended by this act, [(3) person with a qualifying condition, as defined 208 
in said section, who has received a discharge other than bad conduct or 209 
dishonorable from active service in the armed forces,] or [(4)] (3) person 210 
under twenty-one years of age shall be required to pay the fees 211 
described in subsection (b) of this section. The commissioner may waive 212 
any fee described in subsection (b) upon the submission of evidence 213 
indicating an inability to pay. 214 
Sec. 8. Subsection (d) of section 10a-99 of the general statutes is 215 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 216 
1, 2021): 217  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	8 of 41 
 
(d) Said board shall waive the payment of tuition fees at the 218 
Connecticut State University System (1) for any dependent child of a 219 
person whom the armed forces of the United States has declared to be 220 
missing in action or to have been a prisoner of war while serving in such 221 
armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been accepted for 222 
admission to such institution and is a resident of the state at the time 223 
such child is accepted for admission to such institution, (2) subject to the 224 
provisions of subsection (e) of this section, for any [(A)] veteran, as 225 
defined in section 27-103, as amended by this act, who performed 226 
service in time of war, as defined in section 27-103, as amended by this 227 
act, [or (B) person with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, 228 
who has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable 229 
from active service in the armed forces and who performed service in 230 
time of war,] except that for purposes of this subsection, "service in time 231 
of war" shall not include time spent in attendance at a military service 232 
academy, which veteran [or person] has been accepted for admission to 233 
such institution and is domiciled in this state at the time such veteran 234 
[or person] is accepted for admission to such institution, (3) for any 235 
resident of the state sixty-two years of age or older who has been 236 
accepted for admission to such institution, provided (A) such resident 237 
is enrolled in a degree-granting program, or (B) at the end of the regular 238 
registration period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number 239 
of students other than those residents eligible for waivers pursuant to 240 
this subdivision to offer the course in which such resident intends to 241 
enroll and there is space available in such course after accommodating 242 
all such students, (4) for any student attending the Connecticut Police 243 
Academy who is enrolled in a law enforcement program at said 244 
academy offered in coordination with the university which accredits 245 
courses taken in such program, (5) for any active member of the 246 
Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been certified by 247 
the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee as a member 248 
in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted for 249 
admission to such institution on a full-time or part-time basis in an 250 
undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program, (6) for any 251 
dependent child of a (A) police officer, as defined in section 7-294a, or 252  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	9 of 41 
 
supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in 253 
section 7-323j, or member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal 254 
employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in 255 
the line of duty, (7) for any resident of this state who is a dependent 256 
child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a 257 
resident of the state, (8) for any dependent child of a resident of the state 258 
who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of 259 
Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (9) for 260 
any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse 261 
of a person who was killed in action while performing active military 262 
duty with the armed forces of the United States on or after September 263 
11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state. If any person who receives 264 
a tuition waiver in accordance with the provisions of this subsection also 265 
receives educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver 266 
shall be reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. 267 
Veterans and persons described in subdivision (2) of this subsection and 268 
members of the National Guard described in subdivision (5) of this 269 
subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving 270 
tuition waivers in registering for courses at Connecticut state 271 
universities. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used 272 
in this subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less 273 
than one year. 274 
Sec. 9. Subsection (e) of section 10a-105 of the general statutes is 275 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 276 
1, 2021): 277 
(e) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition fees at 278 
The University of Connecticut (1) for any dependent child of a person 279 
whom the armed forces of the United States has declared to be missing 280 
in action or to have been a prisoner of war while serving in such armed 281 
forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been accepted for admission 282 
to The University of Connecticut and is a resident of the state at the time 283 
such child is accepted for admission to said institution, (2) subject to the 284 
provisions of subsection (f) of this section, for any [(A)] veteran, as 285 
defined in section 27-103, as amended by this act, who performed 286  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	10 of 41 
 
service in time of war, as defined in section 27-103, as amended by this 287 
act, [or (B) person with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, 288 
who has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable 289 
from active service in the armed forces and who performed service in 290 
time of war,] except that for purposes of this subsection, "service in time 291 
of war" shall not include time spent in attendance at a military service 292 
academy, which veteran [or person] has been accepted for admission to 293 
said institution and is domiciled in this state at the time such veteran [or 294 
person] is accepted for admission to said institution, (3) for any resident 295 
of the state sixty-two years of age or older who has been accepted for 296 
admission to said institution, provided (A) such resident is enrolled in 297 
a degree-granting program, or (B) at the end of the regular registration 298 
period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students 299 
other than those residents eligible for waivers pursuant to this 300 
subdivision to offer the course in which such resident intends to enroll 301 
and there is space available in such course after accommodating all such 302 
students, (4) for any active member of the Connecticut Army or Air 303 
National Guard who (A) has been certified by the Adjutant General or 304 
such Adjutant General's designee as a member in good standing of the 305 
guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted for admission to said institution 306 
on a full-time or part-time basis in an undergraduate or graduate 307 
degree-granting program, (5) for any dependent child of a (A) police 308 
officer, as defined in section 7-294a, or supernumerary or auxiliary 309 
police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j, or member of 310 
a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) state 311 
employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (6) for 312 
any resident of the state who is the dependent child or surviving spouse 313 
of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of the state, (7) for any 314 
dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a 315 
multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and 316 
Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (8) for any resident of the state 317 
who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was 318 
killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed 319 
forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was 320 
a resident of this state. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in 321  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	11 of 41 
 
accordance with the provisions of this subsection also receives 322 
educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be 323 
reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans 324 
and persons described in subdivision (2) of this subsection and members 325 
of the National Guard described in subdivision (4) of this subsection 326 
shall be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers 327 
in registering for courses at The University of Connecticut. 328 
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used in this 329 
subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less than one 330 
year. 331 
Sec. 10. Subsection (i) of section 10-221a of the general statutes is 332 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 333 
1, 2021): 334 
(i) (1) A local or regional board of education may award a diploma to 335 
a veteran, as defined in [subsection (a) of] section 27-103, as amended 336 
by this act, [or a person with a qualifying condition, as defined in said 337 
section, who has received a discharge other than bad conduct or 338 
dishonorable from active service in the armed forces,] which veteran [or 339 
person] served during World War II or the Korean hostilities, as 340 
described in section 51-49h, or during the Vietnam Era, as defined in 341 
section 27-103, as amended by this act, withdrew from high school prior 342 
to graduation in order to serve in the armed forces of the United States 343 
and did not receive a diploma as a consequence of such service. 344 
(2) A local or regional board of education may award a diploma to 345 
any person who (A) withdrew from high school prior to graduation to 346 
work in a job that assisted the war effort during World War II, December 347 
7, 1941, to December 31, 1946, inclusive, (B) did not receive a diploma as 348 
a consequence of such work, and (C) has been a resident of the state for 349 
at least fifty consecutive years. 350 
Sec. 11. Subsection (a) of section 10a-149d of the general statutes is 351 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 352 
1, 2021): 353  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	12 of 41 
 
(a) An institution of higher education shall award college credit for 354 
military occupational specialty training to a member of the armed forces 355 
or the National Guard or a veteran who enrolls at such institution and 356 
has experience in a military occupation recognized by such institution 357 
as substituting for or meeting the requirements of a particular course of 358 
study. For the purposes of this section, "veteran" [means any person 359 
who was discharged or released under conditions other than 360 
dishonorable from active service in the armed forces] and "armed 361 
forces" [has] have the same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 362 
27-103, as amended by this act. 363 
Sec. 12. Subsection (a) of section 10a-161d of the general statutes is 364 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 365 
1, 2021): 366 
(a) As used in this section: 367 
(1) "Eligible student without legal immigration status" means any 368 
person who (A) is entitled to classification as an in-state student for 369 
tuition purposes pursuant to subdivision (9) of section 10a-29, (B) was 370 
thirty years of age or younger on June 15, 2012, (C) was sixteen years of 371 
age or younger when he or she arrived in the United States and has 372 
continuously resided in the United States since such arrival, and (D) has 373 
not been convicted of a felony in this state or in another state; 374 
(2) "Eligible veteran without legal immigration status" means any 375 
person who (A) is [an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces 376 
of the United States] a veteran, as defined in section 27-103, as amended 377 
by this act, without legal immigration status, (B) was thirty years of age 378 
or younger on June 15, 2012, (C) was fifteen years of age or younger 379 
when he or she arrived in the United States and has continuously 380 
resided in the United States since such arrival, and (D) has not been 381 
convicted of a felony in this state or in another state; 382 
(3) "Institutional financial aid" means funds set aside from the 383 
anticipated tuition revenue of an institution of higher education for the 384 
purposes of providing tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for 385  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	13 of 41 
 
educational expenses and student employment for full-time or part-386 
time students who are enrolled in a degree-granting program or a 387 
precollege remedial program and who demonstrate substantial 388 
financial need; and 389 
(4) "Public institution of higher education" means those institutions 390 
of higher education identified in subdivisions (1) and (2) of section 10a-391 
1. 392 
Sec. 13. Subsection (a) of section 12-217pp of the general statutes is 393 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 394 
1, 2021): 395 
(a) As used in this section: 396 
(1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Economic and 397 
Community Development; 398 
(2) "Control", with respect to a corporation, means ownership, 399 
directly or indirectly, of stock possessing fifty per cent or more of the 400 
total combined voting power of all classes of the stock of such 401 
corporation entitled to vote. "Control", with respect to a trust, means 402 
ownership, directly or indirectly, of fifty per cent or more of the 403 
beneficial interest in the principal or income of such trust. The 404 
ownership of stock in a corporation, of a capital or profits interest in a 405 
partnership, limited liability company or association or of a beneficial 406 
interest in a trust shall be determined in accordance with the rules for 407 
constructive ownership of stock provided in Section 267(c) of the 408 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding 409 
internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time 410 
amended, other than paragraph (3) of said Section 267(c); 411 
(3) "Full-time job" means a job in which an employee is required to 412 
work at least thirty-five hours per week for not less than forty-eight 413 
weeks in a calendar year. "Full-time job" does not include a temporary 414 
or seasonal job; 415  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	14 of 41 
 
(4) "Income year" means, with respect to entities subject to the 416 
insurance premiums tax under chapter 207, the corporation business tax 417 
under this chapter, the utility companies tax under chapter 212 or the 418 
income tax under chapter 229, the income year as determined under 419 
each of said chapters, as the case may be; 420 
(5) "New employee" means a person who resides in this state and is 421 
hired by a taxpayer on or after January 1, 2012, and prior to January 1, 422 
2014, to fill a new job. "New employee" does not include a person who 423 
was employed in this state by a related person with respect to a taxpayer 424 
during the prior twelve months; 425 
(6) "New job" means a job that did not exist in this state prior to a 426 
taxpayer's application to the commissioner for certification under this 427 
section for a job expansion tax credit, is filled by a new, qualifying or 428 
veteran employee, and (A) is a full-time job, or (B) in the case of a 429 
qualifying employee under subparagraph (B) of subdivision (7) of this 430 
subsection, is a job in which an employee is required to work at least 431 
twenty hours per week for not less than forty-eight weeks in a calendar 432 
year; 433 
(7) "Qualifying employee" means a new employee who, at the time of 434 
hiring by the taxpayer: 435 
(A) (i) Is receiving unemployment compensation, or (ii) has 436 
exhausted unemployment compensation benefits and has not had an 437 
intervening full-time job; or 438 
(B) Is (i) receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the 439 
Department of Aging and Disability Services, (ii) receiving employment 440 
services from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 441 
or (iii) participating in employment opportunities and day services, as 442 
defined in section 17a-226, operated or funded by the Department of 443 
Developmental Services; 444 
(8) "Related person" means (A) a corporation, limited liability 445 
company, partnership, association or trust controlled by the taxpayer, 446  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	15 of 41 
 
(B) an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, 447 
association or trust that is in control of the taxpayer, (C) a corporation, 448 
limited liability company, partnership, association or trust controlled by 449 
an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, 450 
association or trust that is in control of the taxpayer, or (D) a member of 451 
the same controlled group as the taxpayer; 452 
(9) "Taxpayer" means a person that (A) has been in business for at 453 
least twelve consecutive months prior to the date of the taxpayer's 454 
application to the commissioner for certification under this section for a 455 
job expansion tax credit, and (B) is subject to tax under this chapter or 456 
chapter 207, 212 or 229; and 457 
(10) "Veteran employee" means a new employee who, at the time of 458 
hiring by the taxpayer, is a veteran, as defined in section 27-103, as 459 
amended by this act, or is a member of [, was honorably discharged from 460 
or released under honorable conditions from active service in] the 461 
armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, as amended by this act. 462 
Sec. 14. Subparagraph (D) of subdivision (63) of section 12-412 of the 463 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 464 
thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 465 
(D) The Department of Revenue Services may issue a farmer tax 466 
exemption permit to a farmer, notwithstanding the fact that, in the 467 
farmer's immediately preceding taxable year, such farmer's gross 468 
income from agricultural production engaged in as a trade or business 469 
may have been less than two thousand five hundred dollars, provided 470 
(i) such farmer purchased, during such farmer's current or immediately 471 
preceding taxable year, an agricultural trade or business from a seller 472 
who was issued a farmer tax exemption permit by such department at 473 
the time of such purchase and such agricultural production shall be 474 
carried on as a trade or business by such purchaser during the period 475 
commencing upon the purchase and ending two years after the date of 476 
purchase. Such purchaser shall be liable for the tax otherwise imposed, 477 
during the period commencing upon such purchase and ending two 478  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	16 of 41 
 
years after the date of purchase, if such agricultural production is not 479 
carried on as a trade or business by such purchaser during the period 480 
commencing upon such purchase and ending two years after the date 481 
of purchase; or (ii) such farmer is a veteran who has never owned or 482 
leased property for the purpose of commercial agricultural production 483 
or who has owned or leased property for the purpose of commercial 484 
agricultural production for less than two years. Such veteran farmer 485 
shall be liable for the tax otherwise imposed, during the period 486 
commencing upon issuance of a farmer tax exemption permit pursuant 487 
to this subparagraph and ending two years after the date of such 488 
issuance, if such agricultural production is not carried on as a trade or 489 
business by such veteran farmer during the period commencing upon 490 
such issuance and ending two years after the date of such issuance. As 491 
used in this subparagraph, "veteran" [means any person (1) honorably 492 
discharged from, or released under honorable conditions from active 493 
service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or (2) with a 494 
qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has received a 495 
discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active service in 496 
the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of 497 
section 27-103, as amended by this act. 498 
Sec. 15. Subsection (a) of section 14-20b of the general statutes is 499 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 500 
1, 2021): 501 
(a) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, at the request of any veteran 502 
or member of the armed forces or the surviving spouse of such veteran 503 
or member, shall register any motor vehicle owned or leased for a period 504 
of at least one year by such person and shall issue a special certificate of 505 
registration and a set of number plates for each such motor vehicle, 506 
including a special certificate of registration and a set of number plates 507 
for any motor vehicle used exclusively for farming purposes by any 508 
veteran or member of the armed forces, or the surviving spouse of such 509 
veteran or member, who is engaged in agricultural production as a trade 510 
or business. The plates shall expire and be renewed as provided in 511 
section 14-22. The commissioner shall charge a fee for such plates, which 512  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	17 of 41 
 
fee shall cover the entire cost of making such plates and shall be in 513 
addition to the fee for registration of such motor vehicle. As used in this 514 
subsection, ["member of the armed forces" has the same meaning as 515 
provided in section 27-103] "armed forces" and "veteran" [means any 516 
person (1) honorably discharged from, or released under honorable 517 
conditions from active service in, the armed forces, or (2) with a 518 
qualifying condition, as defined in section 27-103, who has received a 519 
discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active service in 520 
the armed forces] have the same meanings as provided in subsection (a) 521 
of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 522 
Sec. 16. Subdivision (3) of subsection (e) of section 14-36 of the general 523 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 524 
(Effective October 1, 2021): 525 
(3) Before granting a license to any applicant who has not previously 526 
held a Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license, or who has not 527 
operated a motor vehicle during the preceding two years, the 528 
commissioner shall require the applicant to demonstrate personally to 529 
the commissioner, a deputy or a motor vehicle inspector or an agent of 530 
the commissioner, in such manner as the commissioner directs, that the 531 
applicant is a proper person to operate motor vehicles of the class for 532 
which such applicant has applied, has sufficient knowledge of the 533 
mechanism of the motor vehicles to ensure their safe operation by him 534 
or her and has satisfactory knowledge of the laws concerning motor 535 
vehicles and the rules of the road. The knowledge test of an applicant 536 
for a class D motor vehicle operator's license may be administered in 537 
such form as the commissioner deems appropriate, including audio, 538 
electronic or written testing. Such knowledge test shall be administered 539 
in English, Spanish or any language spoken at home by at least one per 540 
cent of the state's population, according to statistics prepared by the 541 
United States Census Bureau, based on the most recent decennial 542 
census. Each such knowledge test shall include a question concerning 543 
highway work zone safety and the responsibilities of an operator of a 544 
motor vehicle under section 14-212d. Each such knowledge test shall 545 
include not less than one question concerning distracted driving, the use 546  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	18 of 41 
 
of mobile telephones and electronic devices by motor vehicle operators 547 
or the responsibilities of motor vehicle operators under section 14-296aa. 548 
If any such applicant has held a license from a state, territory or 549 
possession of the United States where a similar examination is required, 550 
the commissioner may waive part or all of the examination. If any such 551 
applicant is (A) a veteran who applies not later than two years after the 552 
date of discharge from the military and who, prior to such discharge, 553 
held a military operator's license for motor vehicles of the same class as 554 
that for which such applicant has applied, or (B) a member of the armed 555 
forces or the National Guard who currently holds a military operator's 556 
license for motor vehicles of the same class as that for which such 557 
applicant has applied, the commissioner shall waive all of the 558 
examination, except in the case of commercial motor vehicle licenses, 559 
the commissioner shall only waive the driving skills test for such 560 
applicant who meets the conditions set forth in 49 CFR 383.77. For the 561 
purposes of this subsection, "veteran" [means any person who was 562 
discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from 563 
active service in the armed forces] and "armed forces" [has] have the 564 
same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 27-103, as amended by 565 
this act. When the commissioner is satisfied as to the ability and 566 
competency of any applicant, the commissioner may issue to such 567 
applicant a license, either unlimited or containing such limitations as the 568 
commissioner deems advisable, and specifying the class of motor 569 
vehicles which the licensee is eligible to operate. 570 
Sec. 17. Subsections (e) and (f) of section 14-36h of the general statutes 571 
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 572 
October 1, 2021): 573 
(e) Any person who is a veteran may submit a request to the 574 
Department of Veterans Affairs to have his or her status as a veteran 575 
contained on his or her motor vehicle operator's license or identity card. 576 
Said department shall, not later than thirty days after receipt of such 577 
request, verify whether such person is a veteran and, if so, notify the 578 
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of such request and verification. The 579 
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall indicate such person's status as a 580  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	19 of 41 
 
veteran on any motor vehicle operator's license or identity card issued 581 
to such person upon original issuance or renewal of a motor vehicle 582 
operator's license or identity card or upon issuance of a duplicate motor 583 
vehicle operator's license or identity card. 584 
(f) As used in this section: (1) "Full legal name" means the most 585 
complete version of the name that appears on a person's certificate of 586 
birth, official passport or other document or documents accepted by the 587 
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to verify the person's identity, unless 588 
the person presents a marriage license or certificate, a certificate of civil 589 
union, a divorce decree or an order of a court of competent jurisdiction 590 
pertaining to a permanent change of the person's name; and (2) 591 
"veteran" [means (A) any person honorably discharged from, or 592 
released under honorable conditions from active service in, the armed 593 
forces, as defined in section 27-103,] (A) has the same meaning as 594 
provided in subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act, or 595 
(B) means any former member of the armed forces who is entitled to 596 
retirement pay under 10 USC Chapter 1223, as amended from time to 597 
time, or, but for age, would be so entitled. [, or (C) any person with a 598 
qualifying condition, as defined in section 27-103, who has received a 599 
discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active service in 600 
the armed forces.] 601 
Sec. 18. Subsection (c) of section 14-50 of the general statutes is 602 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 603 
1, 2021): 604 
(c) The commissioner shall waive any operator's license or 605 
registration fee, including any renewal fee, in the case of any person in 606 
the active service of the armed forces of the United States who was a 607 
legal resident of Connecticut at the time of his or her induction; and for 608 
one licensing period to any [person (1) honorably separated from such 609 
service, or (2) with a qualifying condition, as defined in section 27-103, 610 
who has separated from such service other than with a bad conduct 611 
characterization or dishonorably] veteran, as defined in section 27-103, 612 
as amended by this act, which [person] veteran applies for such 613  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	20 of 41 
 
operator's license or registration within two years following the date of 614 
separation and was a legal resident of Connecticut at the time of his or 615 
her induction. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance 616 
with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this subsection. 617 
Sec. 19. Section 14-254 of the general statutes is repealed and the 618 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 619 
"Disabled veteran", as used in this section, means (1) [(A)] any veteran 620 
as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act, 621 
who performed service in time of war, as defined in section 27-103, as 622 
amended by this act, [or (B) any person with a qualifying condition, as 623 
defined in said section, who has received a discharge other than bad 624 
conduct or dishonorable from active service in the armed forces, as 625 
defined in said section, and who performed service in time of war,] and 626 
(2) (A) one or both of whose legs or arms or parts thereof have been 627 
amputated or the use of which has been lost, (B) who is blind, paraplegic 628 
or hemiplegic, or (C) who has traumatic brain injury, any such disability 629 
described in subdivision (2) of this section being certified as service-630 
connected by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The 631 
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, upon application of any disabled 632 
veteran accompanied by such certificate of United States Department of 633 
Veterans Affairs, shall issue without charge a special number plate or 634 
set of plates in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of 635 
section 14-21b to be attached to a passenger motor vehicle owned or 636 
operated by such disabled veteran and an identification card to be used 637 
in connection therewith. The card shall identify the disabled veteran and 638 
the motor vehicle and shall state that such disabled veteran is qualified 639 
to receive the card, that the card, plate or plates shall be returned to the 640 
commissioner if the registration of the motor vehicle is cancelled or 641 
transferred and that the card is for the exclusive use of the disabled 642 
veteran to whom it is issued, is not transferable and will be revoked if 643 
presented by any other person or if any privilege granted under this 644 
section is abused. If not so revoked, the card shall be renewable every 645 
four years at the time of registration of motor vehicles. No penalty shall 646 
be imposed for the overtime parking of any motor vehicle bearing a 647  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	21 of 41 
 
number plate issued under this section when it has been so parked by 648 
the disabled veteran to whom the plate and an identification card were 649 
issued or by any person operating such vehicle when accompanied by 650 
such disabled veteran, provided the length of time for which such 651 
vehicle may remain parked at any one location shall not exceed twenty-652 
four hours. The surviving spouse of a disabled veteran issued such 653 
special registration may retain any such registration and number plates 654 
without charge for his or her lifetime or until such time as he or she 655 
remarries. 656 
Sec. 20. Subsection (a) of section 17b-28i of the general statutes is 657 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 658 
1, 2021): 659 
(a) To the extent permissible by federal law, the Commissioner of 660 
Social Services shall disregard federal Aid and Attendance pension 661 
benefits granted to a veteran or the surviving spouse of such veteran 662 
when determining income eligibility for the state's Medicare savings, 663 
medical assistance and energy assistance programs administered under 664 
section 17b-2. As used in this subsection, "veteran" [means any person 665 
(1) honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 666 
from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or 667 
(2) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has 668 
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 669 
service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 670 
subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 671 
Sec. 21. Section 19a-179 of the general statutes is repealed and the 672 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 673 
(a) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with 674 
chapter 54, concerning (1) the methods and conditions for licensure and 675 
certification of the operations, facilities and equipment enumerated in 676 
section 19a-177, (2) complaint procedures for the public and any 677 
emergency medical service organization, and (3) exemption of members 678 
of the armed forces or the National Guard or veterans with appropriate 679  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	22 of 41 
 
military training, including, but not limited to, members of the armed 680 
forces or the National Guard or veterans with a designation by the 681 
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians and veterans or 682 
members of the United States Navy and Coast Guard, from training and 683 
testing requirements for emergency medical technician licensure and 684 
certification. Such regulations shall be in conformity with the policies 685 
and standards established by the commissioner. Such regulations shall 686 
require that, as an express condition of the purchase of any business 687 
holding a primary service area, the purchaser shall agree to abide by any 688 
performance standards to which the purchased business was obligated 689 
pursuant to its agreement with the municipality. 690 
(b) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" [means any person who 691 
was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable 692 
from active service in the armed forces] and "armed forces" [has] have 693 
the same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 27-103, as 694 
amended by this act. 695 
Sec. 22. Subsections (j) and (k) of section 20-206mm of the general 696 
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 697 
(Effective October 1, 2021): 698 
(j) The Commissioner of Public Health shall issue an emergency 699 
medical technician certification to an applicant who is a member of the 700 
armed forces or the National Guard or a veteran and who (1) presents 701 
evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that such applicant holds a 702 
current certification as a person entitled to perform similar services 703 
under a different designation by the National Registry of Emergency 704 
Medical Technicians, or (2) satisfies the regulations promulgated 705 
pursuant to subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 19a-179, as 706 
amended by this act. Such applicant shall be exempt from any written 707 
or practical examination requirement for certification. 708 
(k) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" [means any person who 709 
was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable 710 
from active service in the armed forces] and "armed forces" [has] have 711  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	23 of 41 
 
the same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 27-103, as 712 
amended by this act. 713 
Sec. 23. Section 27-100g of the general statutes is repealed and the 714 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 715 
The Department of Veterans Affairs shall establish, within available 716 
resources, a Connecticut women veterans' program to (1) conduct 717 
outreach to women veterans for the purpose of improving awareness of 718 
eligibility for federal and state veterans' benefits and services; (2) 719 
conduct assessments of the needs of women veterans with respect to 720 
benefits and services; (3) review programs, research projects and other 721 
initiatives designed to address or meet the needs of Connecticut's 722 
women veterans; (4) submit recommendations for improving benefits 723 
and services available to women veterans to the Commissioner of 724 
Veterans Affairs and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, 725 
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 726 
cognizance of matters relating to military and veterans' affairs on 727 
January 15, 2016, and annually thereafter; and (5) incorporate women 728 
veterans' issues in strategic planning concerning benefits and services. 729 
The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 730 
to supplement and implement the provisions of this section. For the 731 
purposes of this section, "veteran" [means any person who was 732 
discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from 733 
active service in the armed forces] and "armed forces" [has] have the 734 
same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 27-103, as amended by 735 
this act. 736 
Sec. 24. Subsection (a) of section 27-108 of the general statutes is 737 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 738 
1, 2021): 739 
(a) Any veteran who meets active military, naval or air service 740 
requirements, as described in 38 USC 101, as amended from time to 741 
time, may apply for admission to the Veterans Residential Services 742 
facility or Healthcare Center; and any such veteran who has no adequate 743  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	24 of 41 
 
means of support, and who, from disease, wounds or accident, needs 744 
medical or surgical care and treatment or who has become mentally ill, 745 
may be admitted to any hospital and receive necessary food, clothing, 746 
care and treatment therein, at the expense of the state, unless other funds 747 
or means of payment are available. Whenever a person is admitted to a 748 
hospital, such person shall be asked if he or she is a veteran. Before a 749 
hospital submits a bill for services pursuant to this section, such hospital 750 
shall take sufficient steps to determine that no other funds or means of 751 
payment are available to cover the cost of services rendered to the 752 
veteran. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall make available to 753 
hospitals a list of payment options and benefits available to cover 754 
hospital costs of veterans. As used in this section, "veteran" [means any 755 
person (1) honorably discharged from, or released under honorable 756 
conditions from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 757 
27-103, or (2) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who 758 
has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from 759 
active service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 760 
subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 761 
Sec. 25. Section 27-109 of the general statutes is repealed and the 762 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 763 
Any hospital, upon request of the commissioner, shall furnish any 764 
veteran, determined by the commissioner to be entitled to admission 765 
thereto, necessary food, clothing, care and treatment therein at the 766 
expense of the state, unless other funds or means of payment are 767 
available, and such veteran shall have preference for admission into 768 
such hospital. As used in this section, "veteran" [means any person (1) 769 
honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 770 
from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or 771 
(2) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has 772 
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 773 
service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 774 
subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 775 
Sec. 26. Section 27-118 of the general statutes is repealed and the 776  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	25 of 41 
 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 777 
When any veteran dies, not having sufficient estate to pay the 778 
necessary expenses of the veteran's last sickness and burial, as 779 
determined by the commissioner after consultation with the probate 780 
court for the district in which the veteran resided, the state shall pay the 781 
sum of one thousand eight hundred dollars toward such funeral 782 
expenses, and the burial shall be in some cemetery or plot not used 783 
exclusively for the burial of the pauper dead, and the same amount shall 784 
be paid if the body is cremated, but no amount shall be paid for the 785 
expenses for burial or cremation unless claim therefor is made within 786 
one year from the date of death, except that in cases of death occurring 787 
abroad, such claim may be made within one year after the remains of 788 
such veteran have been interred in this country. No provision of this 789 
section shall prevent the payment of the sum above named for the burial 790 
of any person, otherwise entitled to the same, on account of such burial 791 
being made outside the limits of this state. Upon satisfactory proof by 792 
the person who has paid or provided for the funeral or burial expense 793 
to the commissioner of the identity of the deceased, the time and place 794 
of the deceased's death and burial and the approval thereof by the 795 
commissioner, said sum of one thousand eight hundred dollars shall be 796 
paid by the Comptroller to the person who has paid the funeral or burial 797 
expense or, upon assignment by such person, to the funeral director 798 
who has provided the funeral. Whenever the Comptroller has lawfully 799 
paid any sum toward the expenses of the burial of any deceased veteran 800 
and it afterwards appears that the deceased left any estate, the 801 
Comptroller may present a claim on behalf of the state against the estate 802 
of such deceased veteran for the sum so paid, and the claim shall be a 803 
preferred claim against such estate and shall be paid to the Treasurer of 804 
the state. The commissioner, upon the advice of the Attorney General, 805 
may make application for administration upon the estate of any such 806 
deceased veteran if no other person authorized by law makes such 807 
application within sixty days after such payment has been made by the 808 
Comptroller. As used in this section, "veteran" [means any person (1) 809 
honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 810  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	26 of 41 
 
from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or 811 
(2) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has 812 
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 813 
service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 814 
subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 815 
Sec. 27. Subsection (a) of section 27-122b of the general statutes is 816 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 817 
1, 2021): 818 
(a) As used in this section, "veteran" means [any person (1) honorably 819 
discharged from, or released under honorable conditions from, active 820 
service in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or 821 
Coast Guard or any women's auxiliary branch thereof, organized 822 
pursuant to an Act of Congress;] (1) a veteran, as defined in section 27-823 
103, as amended by this act; and (2) (A) who has completed at least 824 
twenty years of qualifying service, as described in and computed under 825 
10 USC Chapter 1223, as amended from time to time, in the Connecticut 826 
National Guard, [;] or [(3)] (B) who was killed in action, or who died as 827 
a result of accident or illness sustained while performing active service, 828 
in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast 829 
Guard or any women's auxiliary branch thereof, organized pursuant to 830 
an Act of Congress, or in the Connecticut National Guard. 831 
Sec. 28. Section 27-125 of the general statutes is repealed and the 832 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 833 
Any veteran who is a citizen of this state and who, through disability 834 
or other causes incident to service in the armed forces in time of war, is 835 
in need of temporary financial assistance may be provided for by the 836 
commissioner by a method similar to that provided in section 27-82, the 837 
amount and continuance of such assistance to be discretionary with the 838 
commissioner. The widow, widower and each child, parent, brother or 839 
sister of any member of the armed forces, who died while in such active 840 
service, may be assisted by the commissioner if such person or persons 841 
are without sufficient means of support by reason of the death of such 842  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	27 of 41 
 
member of the armed forces. In carrying out his or her duties under the 843 
provisions of this section, the commissioner is directed to cooperate 844 
with such federal agencies as may aid in securing prompt and suitable 845 
treatment, care and relief of any such member of the armed forces or his 846 
or her dependents. The records of the agencies of the state shall be 847 
placed at the disposal of the commissioner and such agencies are 848 
directed to cooperate with and to assist the commissioner in carrying 849 
out his or her duties. As used in this section, "veteran" [means any 850 
person (1) honorably discharged from, or released under honorable 851 
conditions from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 852 
27-103, or (2) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who 853 
has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from 854 
active service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 855 
subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 856 
Sec. 29. Section 27-140 of the general statutes is repealed and the 857 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 858 
All money so paid to and received by the American Legion shall be 859 
expended by it in furnishing temporary income; subsistence items such 860 
as food, wearing apparel, shelter and related expenses; medical or 861 
surgical aid or care or relief (1) to, or in bearing the funeral expenses of, 862 
soldiers, sailors or marines (A) (i) who performed service in time of war, 863 
as defined in section 27-103, as amended by this act, in any branch of the 864 
military service of the United States, including the Connecticut National 865 
Guard, or (ii) who were engaged in any of the wars waged by the United 866 
States during said periods in the forces of any government associated 867 
with the United States, (B) [(i) who have been honorably discharged 868 
therefrom or honorably released from active service therein, or (ii) with 869 
a qualifying condition, as defined in section 27-103, who have received 870 
discharges other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active service 871 
therein,] who were veterans, as defined in section 27-103, as amended 872 
by this act, and (C) who were citizens or resident aliens of the state at 873 
the time of entering said armed forces of the United States, including the 874 
Connecticut National Guard, or of any such government, (2) to their 875 
spouses who are living with them, (3) to their widows or widowers who 876  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	28 of 41 
 
were living with them at the time of death, or (4) to dependent children 877 
under eighteen years of age, who may be in need of the same. All such 878 
payments shall be made by the American Legion under authority of its 879 
bylaws, which bylaws shall set forth the procedure for proof of 880 
eligibility for such aid, provided payments made for the care and 881 
treatment of any person entitled to the benefits provided for herein, at 882 
any hospital receiving aid from the General Assembly unless special 883 
care and treatment are required, shall be in accordance with the 884 
provisions of section 17b-239, and provided the sum expended for the 885 
care or treatment of such person at any other place than a state-aided 886 
hospital shall in no case exceed the actual cost of supporting such person 887 
at the Healthcare Center in Rocky Hill maintained by the Department of 888 
Veterans Affairs, unless special care and treatment are required, when 889 
such sum as may be determined by the treasurer of such organization 890 
may be paid therefor. Upon the completion of the trust provided for in 891 
section 27-138, the principal fund shall revert to the State Treasury. 892 
Sec. 30. Subsection (b) of section 29-161q of the general statutes is 893 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 894 
1, 2021): 895 
(b) No person hired or otherwise engaged to perform work as a 896 
security officer, as defined in section 29-152u, shall perform the duties 897 
of a security officer prior to being licensed as a security officer by the 898 
Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, except as 899 
provided in subsection (h) of this section. Each applicant for a license 900 
shall complete a minimum of eight hours training in the following areas: 901 
Basic first aid, search and seizure laws and regulations, use of force, 902 
basic criminal justice and public safety issues. The commissioner shall 903 
waive such training for any person who, while serving in the armed 904 
forces or the National Guard, or if such person is a veteran, within two 905 
years of such person's discharge from the armed forces, presents proof 906 
that such person has completed military training that is equivalent to 907 
the training required by this subsection, and, if applicable, such person's 908 
military discharge document or a certified copy thereof. For the 909 
purposes of this subsection, "veteran" [means any person who was 910  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	29 of 41 
 
discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from 911 
active service in the armed forces,] and "armed forces" [has] have the 912 
same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 27-103, as amended by 913 
this act, and "military discharge document" has the same meaning as 914 
provided in section 1-219, as amended by this act. The training shall be 915 
approved by the commissioner in accordance with regulations adopted 916 
pursuant to section 29-161x. The commissioner may not grant a license 917 
to any person who has been decertified as a police officer or otherwise 918 
had his or her certification canceled, revoked or refused renewal 919 
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 7-294d. 920 
(1) On and after October 1, 2008, no person or employee of an 921 
association, corporation or partnership shall conduct such training 922 
without the approval of the commissioner except as provided in 923 
subdivision (2) of this subsection. Application for such approval shall 924 
be submitted on forms prescribed by the commissioner and 925 
accompanied by a fee of forty dollars. Such application shall be made 926 
under oath and shall contain the applicant's name, address, date and 927 
place of birth, employment for the previous five years, education or 928 
training in the subjects required to be taught under this subsection, any 929 
convictions for violations of the law and such other information as the 930 
commissioner may require by regulation adopted pursuant to section 931 
29-161x to properly investigate the character, competency and integrity 932 
of the applicant. No person shall be approved as an instructor for such 933 
training who has been convicted of a felony, a sexual offense or a crime 934 
of moral turpitude or who has been denied approval as a security 935 
service licensee, a security officer or instructor in the security industry 936 
by any licensing authority, or whose approval has been revoked or 937 
suspended. The term for such approval shall not exceed two years. Not 938 
later than two business days after a change of address, any person 939 
approved as an instructor in accordance with this section shall notify the 940 
commissioner of such change and such notification shall include both 941 
the old and new addresses. 942 
(2) If a security officer training course described in this subsection is 943 
approved by the commissioner on or before September 30, 2008, the 944  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	30 of 41 
 
instructor of such course shall have until April 1, 2009, to apply for 945 
approval as an instructor in accordance with subdivision (1) of this 946 
subsection. 947 
(3) Each person approved as an instructor in accordance with this 948 
section may apply for the renewal of such approval on a form approved 949 
by the commissioner, accompanied by a fee of forty dollars. Such form 950 
may require the disclosure of any information necessary for the 951 
commissioner to determine whether the instructor's suitability to serve 952 
as an instructor has changed since the issuance of the prior approval. 953 
The term of such renewed approval shall not exceed two years. 954 
Sec. 31. Subsection (c) of section 31-3w of the general statutes is 955 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 956 
1, 2021): 957 
(c) (1) When contacted by a veteran who is in need of employment or 958 
work force development services, the department shall (A) determine 959 
whether the veteran resides closer to a work force development board 960 
facility with a veterans unit than to a department facility offering such 961 
employment or work force development assistance and, if so, provide 962 
the veteran with contact information for the work force development 963 
board, and (B) provide a veteran who expresses an interest in advanced 964 
manufacturing, as defined in section 31-11ss, as amended by this act, 965 
with information on the Military to Machinists program operated 966 
pursuant to section 31-11ss, as amended by this act, if such veteran may 967 
be eligible for services from such program. 968 
(2) For purposes of this subsection, "veteran" [means any person (A) 969 
honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 970 
from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or 971 
(B) with a qualifying condition, as defined in section 27-103, who has 972 
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 973 
service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in 974 
subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended by this act. 975 
Sec. 32. Section 31-3zz of the general statutes is repealed and the 976  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	31 of 41 
 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 977 
The Labor Commissioner shall establish a Special Operations 978 
Resource Network to serve as a clearinghouse for veterans and 979 
members of the armed forces and National Guard who have acquired, 980 
as part of their military training, knowledge, experience or a set of skills 981 
most compatible with certain professional opportunities. The Labor 982 
Commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Veterans 983 
Affairs and the Adjutant General, shall develop a database in which 984 
such veterans and members are categorized based on the types of 985 
military training received and cross-referenced against certain 986 
professional opportunities for purposes of pairing any such veteran or 987 
member with any such professional opportunity. Any veteran or 988 
member of the armed forces or National Guard may apply for inclusion 989 
in such database by submitting (1) evidence of the military training 990 
received by such veteran or member describing the particular 991 
knowledge, experience or set of skills acquired, and (2) if such applicant 992 
is a veteran, such veteran's military discharge document or a certified 993 
copy thereof. The Labor Commissioner shall evaluate any such 994 
application, include such veteran or member in such database, and so 995 
categorize such veteran or member as described in this section. The 996 
Labor Commissioner shall update such database weekly and shall 997 
publish such database on the Labor Department's Internet web site. Any 998 
person interested in hiring any such veteran or member included in 999 
such database shall contact the department through a dedicated 1000 
telephone number and the department shall facilitate contact between 1001 
such person and such veteran or member. For the purposes of this 1002 
section, (A) "veteran" [means any person who was discharged or 1003 
released under conditions other than dishonorable from active service 1004 
in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in section 27-1005 
103, as amended by this act, (B) "armed forces" has the same meaning as 1006 
provided in section 27-103, as amended by this act, and (C) "military 1007 
discharge document" has the same meaning as provided in section 1-1008 
219, as amended by this act. 1009 
Sec. 33. Subsection (a) of section 31-11ss of the general statutes is 1010  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	32 of 41 
 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1011 
1, 2021): 1012 
(a) As used in this section: 1013 
(1) "Advanced manufacturing" means a manufacturing process that 1014 
makes extensive use of computer, high-precision or information 1015 
technologies integrated with a high-performance work force in a 1016 
production system capable of furnishing a heterogeneous mix of 1017 
products in small or large volumes with either the efficiency of mass 1018 
production or the flexibility of custom manufacturing in order to 1019 
respond quickly to customer demands. "Advanced manufacturing" 1020 
includes newly developed methods to manufacture existing products 1021 
and the manufacture of new products emerging from new advanced 1022 
technologies; 1023 
(2) "Eligible business" means a business that (A) has operations in 1024 
Connecticut, (B) has been registered to conduct business for not less than 1025 
twelve months, and (C) is in good standing with respect to the payment 1026 
of all state and local taxes. "Eligible business" does not include the state 1027 
or any political subdivision thereof; 1028 
(3) "Private occupational school" has the same meaning as provided 1029 
in section 10a-22a; 1030 
(4) "Public institution of higher education" means any of the 1031 
institutions of higher education identified in subdivision (2) of section 1032 
10a-1; 1033 
(5) "Qualifying advanced manufacturing certificate program" means 1034 
a for-credit or noncredit sub-baccalaureate advanced manufacturing 1035 
certificate program offered by a public institution of higher education 1036 
or a private occupational school in which at least seventy-five per cent 1037 
of the graduates of such certificate program are employed in a field 1038 
related to or requiring such certificate in the year following graduation; 1039 
and 1040  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	33 of 41 
 
(6) "Veteran" [means any person (A) honorably discharged from, or 1041 
released under honorable conditions from active service in, the armed 1042 
forces, as defined in section 27-103, or (B) with a qualifying condition, 1043 
as defined in section 27-103, who has received a discharge other than 1044 
bad conduct or dishonorable from active service in the armed forces] 1045 
has the same meaning as provided in section 27-103, as amended by this 1046 
act. 1047 
Sec. 34. Subsection (a) of section 31-11tt of the general statutes is 1048 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1049 
1, 2021): 1050 
(a) Not later than October 1, 2019, the work force development board 1051 
for the southwest work force development region of the state shall 1052 
develop and operate a pilot program to be known as the Veterans 1053 
Platform to Employment Program. The program shall provide training 1054 
and subsidized employment for veterans who have experienced long-1055 
term unemployment in a similar manner to the Platform to Employment 1056 
Program currently operated by such board. The pilot program shall 1057 
provide veterans in a region served by the program with (1) a 1058 
preparatory program that includes services such as skills assessments, 1059 
career readiness workshops, employee assistance programs and 1060 
coaching, and (2) employment assistance that includes identifying 1061 
positions at local employers and providing subsidies to employers that 1062 
hire veterans for trial work experiences that may lead to continued 1063 
employment. The pilot program may offer additional services to assist 1064 
veterans, including personal and family support services and financial 1065 
counseling. As used in this section, "veteran" [means any person (A) 1066 
honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 1067 
from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or 1068 
(B) with a qualifying condition, as defined in section 27-103, who has 1069 
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 1070 
service in the armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in section 1071 
27-103, as amended by this act. 1072 
Sec. 35. Section 31-22u of the general statutes is repealed and the 1073  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	34 of 41 
 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1074 
Any member of the armed forces or National Guard or any veteran, 1075 
within two years of such veteran's discharge from the armed forces, may 1076 
submit an application for military training evaluation to the Labor 1077 
Department program of apprentice training set forth in section 31-22q. 1078 
Such application shall include (1) evidence of satisfactory completion of 1079 
a program or course of instruction as part of military training that is 1080 
equivalent in content and quality to that required for a specific trade in 1081 
this state, and (2) if such applicant is a veteran, such veteran's military 1082 
discharge document or a certified copy thereof. The Labor 1083 
Commissioner shall evaluate any such application and determine 1084 
whether the applicant's military training may be substituted for all or 1085 
part of the term of an apprenticeship program registered with the Labor 1086 
Department for a specific trade. If the commissioner determines that the 1087 
applicant's military training is equivalent to the training required for 1088 
completion of such apprenticeship program, the commissioner shall 1089 
issue such applicant a recommendation for review by the appropriate 1090 
examining board established under section 20-331. Presentation of such 1091 
recommendation, pursuant to section 20-333, shall allow such applicant 1092 
to sit for any licensure examination without participation in an 1093 
apprenticeship program. If the commissioner determines that the 1094 
applicant's military training is equivalent to part of the training required 1095 
for completion of an apprenticeship program, such applicant's hours of 1096 
qualified military training, as determined by the commissioner, shall be 1097 
deducted from the hours of apprenticeship training required for the 1098 
specific trade provided (A) such applicant completes the minimum 1099 
number of hours of apprenticeship training required under federal law, 1100 
and (B) prior to implementation of this provision, the Labor Department 1101 
obtains concurrence with such provision from the federal office of 1102 
apprenticeship pursuant to 29 CFR 29.13(b)(9). For the purposes of this 1103 
section, (i) "veteran" [means any person who was discharged or released 1104 
under conditions other than dishonorable from active service in the 1105 
armed forces] has the same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of 1106 
section 27-103, as amended by this act, (ii) "armed forces" has the same 1107  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	35 of 41 
 
meaning as provided in section 27-103, as amended by this act, and (iii) 1108 
"military discharge document" has the same meaning as provided in 1109 
section 1-219, as amended by this act. 1110 
Sec. 36. Section 51-49h of the general statutes is repealed and the 1111 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 1112 
(a) Any judge of the Superior Court, the Appellate Court or the 1113 
Supreme Court who first commenced service as a judge prior to January 1114 
1, 1981, may elect to receive the retirement salary provided under 1115 
subsection (b) of section 51-50. The surviving spouse of a deceased judge 1116 
who has made an election under this section shall receive the allowances 1117 
provided under subsection (b) of section 51-51. 1118 
(b) Any such judge, any family support magistrate or any 1119 
compensation commissioner who is a veteran may receive credit for 1120 
retirement purposes for military service, if such judge, family support 1121 
magistrate or compensation commissioner makes retirement 1122 
contributions for each month of military service equal to one-twelfth of 1123 
five per cent of his first year's salary as a judge, family support 1124 
magistrate or compensation commissioner multiplied by the total 1125 
number of months of such military service, except that (1) no retirement 1126 
contribution shall be made for service as a prisoner of war, and (2) no 1127 
credit shall be allowed for military service to any such judge, family 1128 
support magistrate or compensation commissioner who has served less 1129 
than ten years as a judge, family support magistrate or compensation 1130 
commissioner, nor for more than fifty per cent of such military service 1131 
or three years, whichever is less. Service credit for military service for 1132 
retirement purposes other than service as a prisoner of war shall not be 1133 
granted until payment of contributions is completed. Any application 1134 
for military service credit under this section for service as a prisoner of 1135 
war shall be accompanied by sufficient proof from the United States 1136 
Department of Veterans Affairs that such judge, family support 1137 
magistrate or compensation commissioner is a former prisoner of war. 1138 
(c) For purposes of this section: (1) "Armed forces" means the United 1139  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	36 of 41 
 
States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force; (2) 1140 
"veteran" [means any person honorably discharged from, or released 1141 
under honorable conditions from active service in, the armed forces] has 1142 
the same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of section 27-103, as 1143 
amended by this act; (3) "military service" shall be service during World 1144 
War II, December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946; the Korean hostilities, 1145 
June 27, 1950, to October 27, 1953; and the Vietnam era, January 1, 1964, 1146 
to July 1, 1975, and shall include service as a prisoner of war. 1147 
Sec. 37. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 54-56e of the general statutes 1148 
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 1149 
October 1, 2021): 1150 
(a) There shall be a pretrial program for accelerated rehabilitation of 1151 
persons accused of a crime or crimes or a motor vehicle violation or 1152 
violations for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment may be 1153 
imposed, which crimes or violations are not of a serious nature. Upon 1154 
application by any such person for participation in the program, the 1155 
court shall, but only as to the public, order the court file sealed. 1156 
(b) The court may, in its discretion, invoke such program on motion 1157 
of the defendant or on motion of a state's attorney or prosecuting 1158 
attorney with respect to a defendant (1) who, the court believes, will 1159 
probably not offend in the future, (2) who has no previous record of 1160 
conviction of a crime or of a violation of section 14-196, subsection (c) of 1161 
section 14-215, section 14-222a, subsection (a) or subdivision (1) of 1162 
subsection (b) of section 14-224, section 14-227a or 14-227m or 1163 
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n, and (3) who 1164 
states under oath, in open court or before any person designated by the 1165 
clerk and duly authorized to administer oaths, under the penalties of 1166 
perjury, (A) that the defendant has never had such program invoked on 1167 
the defendant's behalf or that the defendant was charged with a 1168 
misdemeanor or a motor vehicle violation for which a term of 1169 
imprisonment of one year or less may be imposed and ten or more years 1170 
have passed since the date that any charge or charges for which the 1171 
program was invoked on the defendant's behalf were dismissed by the 1172  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	37 of 41 
 
court, or (B) with respect to a defendant who is a veteran, that the 1173 
defendant has not had such program invoked in the defendant's behalf 1174 
more than once previously, provided the defendant shall agree thereto 1175 
and provided notice has been given by the defendant, on a form 1176 
prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, to the victim 1177 
or victims of such crime or motor vehicle violation, if any, by registered 1178 
or certified mail and such victim or victims have an opportunity to be 1179 
heard thereon. Any defendant who makes application for participation 1180 
in such program shall pay to the court an application fee of thirty-five 1181 
dollars. No defendant shall be allowed to participate in the pretrial 1182 
program for accelerated rehabilitation more than two times. For the 1183 
purposes of this section, "veteran" [means any person who was 1184 
discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from 1185 
active service in the armed forces as defined in section 27-103] has the 1186 
same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of section 27-103, as 1187 
amended by this act. 1188 
Sec. 38. Subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of section 54-56i of the general 1189 
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 1190 
(Effective October 1, 2021): 1191 
(a) There is established a pretrial drug education and community 1192 
service program for persons charged with a violation of section 21a-267, 1193 
21a-279 or 21a-279a. The pretrial drug education and community service 1194 
program shall include a fifteen-session drug education program and a 1195 
substance abuse treatment program of not less than fifteen sessions, and 1196 
the performance of community service. 1197 
(b) Upon application by any such person for participation in such 1198 
program, the court shall, but only as to the public, order the court file 1199 
sealed, and such person shall pay to the court of an application fee of 1200 
one hundred dollars and a nonrefundable evaluation fee of one hundred 1201 
fifty dollars. A person shall be ineligible for participation in such pretrial 1202 
drug education and community service program if such person has 1203 
twice previously participated in (1) the pretrial drug education program 1204 
established under the provisions of this section in effect prior to October 1205  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	38 of 41 
 
1, 2013, (2) the community service labor program established under 1206 
section 53a-39c, (3) the pretrial drug education and community service 1207 
program established under this section, or (4) any of such programs, 1208 
except that the court may allow a person who has twice previously 1209 
participated in such programs to participate in the pretrial drug 1210 
education and community service program one additional time, for 1211 
good cause shown. The evaluation and application fee imposed under 1212 
this subsection shall be credited to the pretrial account established 1213 
under section 54-56k. 1214 
(c) The court, after consideration of the recommendation of the state's 1215 
attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney in 1216 
charge of the case, may, in its discretion, grant such application. If the 1217 
court grants such application, the court shall refer such person (1) to the 1218 
Court Support Services Division for confirmation of the eligibility of the 1219 
applicant, (2) to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction 1220 
Services for evaluation and determination of an appropriate drug 1221 
education or substance abuse treatment program for the first or second 1222 
time such application is granted, and (3) to a state-licensed substance 1223 
abuse treatment program for evaluation and determination of an 1224 
appropriate substance abuse treatment program for the third time such 1225 
application is granted, except that, if such person is a veteran, the court 1226 
may refer such person to the Department of Veterans Affairs or the 1227 
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, as applicable, for any 1228 
such evaluation and determination. For the purposes of this subsection 1229 
and subsection (d) of this section, "veteran" [means any person who was 1230 
discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from 1231 
active service in the armed forces as defined in section 27-103] has the 1232 
same meaning provided in subsection (a) of section 27-103, as amended 1233 
by this act. 1234 
Sec. 39. Subsection (a) of section 54-56l of the general statutes is 1235 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1236 
1, 2021): 1237 
(a) There shall be a supervised diversionary program for persons 1238  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	39 of 41 
 
with psychiatric disabilities, or persons who are veterans, who are 1239 
accused of a crime or crimes or a motor vehicle violation or violations 1240 
for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment may be imposed, which 1241 
crimes or violations are not of a serious nature. For the purposes of this 1242 
section, (1) "psychiatric disability" means a mental or emotional 1243 
condition, other than solely substance abuse, that (A) has substantial 1244 
adverse effects on the defendant's ability to function, and (B) requires 1245 
care and treatment, and (2) "veteran" means [a person who is] a veteran, 1246 
as defined in section 27-103, as amended by this act, who is found, 1247 
pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, to have a mental health 1248 
condition that is amenable to treatment. [, and who was discharged or 1249 
released under conditions other than dishonorable from active service 1250 
in the armed forces as defined in section 27-103.] 1251 
Sec. 40. Subsection (a) of section 54-56n of the general statutes is 1252 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1253 
1, 2021): 1254 
(a) The Judicial Branch shall collect data on the number of members 1255 
of the armed forces, veterans and nonveterans who, on and after 1256 
January 1, 2016, apply for and are granted admission or are denied entry 1257 
into (1) the pretrial program for accelerated rehabilitation established 1258 
pursuant to section 54-56e, as amended by this act, (2) the supervised 1259 
diversionary program established pursuant to section 54-56l, as 1260 
amended by this act, or (3) the pretrial drug education and community 1261 
service program established pursuant to section 54-56i, as amended by 1262 
this act. Data compiled pursuant to this section shall be based on 1263 
information provided by applicants at the time of application to any 1264 
such program. For the purposes of this section, "veteran" [means any 1265 
person who was discharged or released under conditions other than 1266 
dishonorable from active service in the armed forces] and "armed 1267 
forces" [has] have the same [meaning] meanings as provided in section 1268 
27-103, as amended by this act.1269  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	40 of 41 
 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 October 1, 2021 27-103(a) 
Sec. 2 October 1, 2021 1-219(a) 
Sec. 3 October 1, 2021 4-61bb(a) 
Sec. 4 October 1, 2021 4a-59(c) 
Sec. 5 October 1, 2021 7-294d(b) 
Sec. 6 October 1, 2021 8-75 
Sec. 7 October 1, 2021 10-5(c) 
Sec. 8 October 1, 2021 10a-99(d) 
Sec. 9 October 1, 2021 10a-105(e) 
Sec. 10 October 1, 2021 10-221a(i) 
Sec. 11 October 1, 2021 10a-149d(a) 
Sec. 12 October 1, 2021 10a-161d(a) 
Sec. 13 October 1, 2021 12-217pp(a) 
Sec. 14 October 1, 2021 12-412(63)(D) 
Sec. 15 October 1, 2021 14-20b(a) 
Sec. 16 October 1, 2021 14-36(e)(3) 
Sec. 17 October 1, 2021 14-36h(e) and (f) 
Sec. 18 October 1, 2021 14-50(c) 
Sec. 19 October 1, 2021 14-254 
Sec. 20 October 1, 2021 17b-28i(a) 
Sec. 21 October 1, 2021 19a-179 
Sec. 22 October 1, 2021 20-206mm(j) and (k) 
Sec. 23 October 1, 2021 27-100g 
Sec. 24 October 1, 2021 27-108(a) 
Sec. 25 October 1, 2021 27-109 
Sec. 26 October 1, 2021 27-118 
Sec. 27 October 1, 2021 27-122b(a) 
Sec. 28 October 1, 2021 27-125 
Sec. 29 October 1, 2021 27-140 
Sec. 30 October 1, 2021 29-161q(b) 
Sec. 31 October 1, 2021 31-3w(c) 
Sec. 32 October 1, 2021 31-3zz 
Sec. 33 October 1, 2021 31-11ss(a) 
Sec. 34 October 1, 2021 31-11tt(a) 
Sec. 35 October 1, 2021 31-22u 
Sec. 36 October 1, 2021 51-49h 
Sec. 37 October 1, 2021 54-56e(a) and (b) 
Sec. 38 October 1, 2021 54-56i(a) to (c)  Raised Bill No.  918 
 
 
 
LCO No. 3667   	41 of 41 
 
Sec. 39 October 1, 2021 54-56l(a) 
Sec. 40 October 1, 2021 54-56n(a) 
 
Statement of Purpose:   
To expand the definition of veteran. 
[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.]