Relative to veterans' benefits, rights, appreciation, validation and enforcement

What it means

This Senate bill changes a range of state laws for veterans and military families. It changes the military leave limit in section 59 of chapter 33 from "34 days in any state fiscal year and not exceeding 17" to 40, gives pension credit to some retirees who served in the U.S. Public Health Service or NOAA officer corps, lets cities and towns set aside veteran parking at city or town hall, and has the state pay cities and towns 100 per cent of certain local veterans' benefits for people living in some permanent housing. It changes a figure from "five" to 2 in several local property tax exemption clauses, removes the $1,000 yearly cap on property tax relief earned through local work-off programs, and creates a Massachusetts Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program Fund. It also creates a court diversion program for veterans charged with some crimes, names April 5 as Gold Star Wives Day, and orders several studies, including one on waiving public college tuition and fees for veterans.

Source: official text and history of S.2509 on malegislature.gov. This describes the bill text posted there; amendments may have changed the version that was voted on.