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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5367
AN ACT CONCERNING MOTOR VEHICLE MARKER PLATES FOR
CERTAIN VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS, TAX RELIEF FOR
VETERANS, MUNICIPAL VETERANS SERVICES AND TECHNICAL
REVISIONS TO VETERANS' AND MILITARY AFFAIRS STATUTES.
SUMMARY
This bill allows the motor vehicles commissioner to provide special
registration marker plates to individuals who received a campaign
medal and served while engaged in combat or in a combat support role
in Afghanistan (from October 24, 2001, to August 30, 2021) or Iraq (from
March 19, 2003, to December 31, 2011, and June 1, 2014, to December 9,
2021). It does so by explicitly adding these conflicts and dates to the
“period of war” definition in the veterans statutes. By law, these plates
have the words “(Name of War) Veteran” and the motor vehicles
commissioner may charge a fee for them to cover the entire cost of their
production (§§ 1 & 2).
The bill establishes a six-member working group made up of the
Veterans’ Affairs Committee leadership to evaluate state property tax
exemptions, abatements, and other relief for veterans. The working
group must report its findings and recommendations to the Veterans’
Affairs and Planning and Development committees by January 1, 2023
(§ 31).
The bill also requires the veterans affairs commissioner to submit to
the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, by September 1, 2022,
recommendations for improvements regarding municipal veterans’
representatives to ensure the consistent, effective, and efficient
provision of services (see BACKGROUND) (§ 32).
Lastly, it makes numerous technical changes (§§ 1-30).
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2022, except the working group and 2022HB-05367-R000170-BA.DOCX
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municipal veterans’ representative recommendations provisions are
effective upon passage.
PROPERTY TAX WORKING GROUP
The bill establishes a working group that must:
1. evaluate state property tax exemptions, abatements, and other
relief veterans receive;
2. make recommendations on whether state veterans property tax
relief should be adjusted to more effectively align with the intent
for the relief at the time it was enacted; and
3. create a list of municipalities that enacted local veterans property
tax relief and specify the type of relief each enacted.
Under the bill, the working group consists of the Veterans’ Affairs
Committee’s chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and ranking members.
The working group ends when it submits its report or January 1, 2023,
whichever is later.
BACKGROUND
Municipal Veterans’ Representatives
The law requires any municipality without its own local veterans’
advisory committee or that does not otherwise fund a veterans’ service
officer, to designate a municipal employee or a volunteer to serve as its
municipal veterans’ representative. Under the law, these
representatives have the same duties as a local veterans’ advisory
committee, which may include, among other things, coordinating the
activities of public and private facilities concerned with veteran
reemployment, education, rehabilitation, and adjustment to peacetime
living.
Among other things, the municipal veterans’ representative must (1)
be a veteran or have practical experience handling veterans’ issues; (2)
take training from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ Office of
Advocacy and Assistance; and (3) be available to veterans a minimum
number of hours per week as the municipality may establish (CGS § 27- 2022HB-05367-R000170-BA.DOCX
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135).
COMMITTEE ACTION
Veterans' Affairs Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 16 Nay 0 (03/15/2022)