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In honor of Memorial Day, I would like to share some of the legislation that the Legislature has passed, which focuses on supporting veterans and active members of the military, as well as their families. Here is a summary of just a few of those bills.
H.B. 6483: With the passage of H.B. 6483, CT removes a hurdle by allowing military orders to be accepted as proof of residency for public school enrollment, and adopts "the Purple Star School Program," to ensure military-friendly schools.
H.B. 5737: H.B. 5737 creates a state-wide military and veteran trail to help easily navigate and recognize each landmark and the story it tells about the history and pivotal role the military and veterans have played in our state.
H.B. 6480: No veteran should be denied the honor and dignity of a funeral. H.B. 6480 was passed this session to ensure that the State does its part to honor veterans after they have passed on.
HB 7248: This session, the House passed H.B. 7248 which grants in-state tuition to spouses and children of service members, and can’t be lost due to new orders or retirement. In most states, students with a military sponsor stationed in a state are given an “in-state” status for tuition purposes. Historically, public institutions only use terminology such as “enrolled” or “continuously enrolled” rather than “accepted”. This causes a problem as the accepted student has not yet had the opportunity to enroll. If the sponsor retires, leaves service, or has a change of station out-of-state between the student receiving the letter of acceptance and the beginning of classes, the student can lose their in-state status. Allowing in-state tuition to follow the student helps Connecticut support our military and their families.
H.B. 5592: H.B. 5592 ensures LGBTQ+ veterans with less-than-honorable discharge status solely due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression receive the benefits they are completely entitled to.
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