AN ACT CONCERNING QUALIFIED VETERANS' CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS INTERNET WEB SITE.

Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee
Last action: 2026-02-20
Official status: Public Hearing 02/24
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify if there is a limit to the number of organizations that can be listed.

Annual Request for Veterans' Charity List Applications

This law requires the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs to ask eligible groups every year if they want to be on a public list of qualified veterans' charities.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs to send out requests for applications once each year from organizations likely to qualify.
Keeps the rule that approved organizations stay on the list for three years at a time.
Mandates that the online list includes links to each organization's website and explains the rules for joining.
Requires a warning statement on the website saying the state does not guarantee the accuracy of the information.

Who It Names or Affects

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs
Charitable organizations that serve veterans
Members of the public who visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website

Terms To Know

Qualified veterans' charitable organization: A group established to help veterans through benevolent, educational, philanthropic, humane, scientific, patriotic, social welfare, or advocacy purposes that has been a nonstock corporation or tax-exempt for at least three years.
Solicit applications: To officially ask organizations likely to qualify if they want to apply or reapply for the list.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies within available funding from the state budget.
This change takes effect on October 1, 2026.

Bill History

2026-02-20 Connecticut General Assembly
Public Hearing 02/24
2026-02-19 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred to Joint Committee on Veterans' and Military Affairs

Official Summary Text

To require the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs to annually solicit organizations for inclusion on the list of qualified veterans' charitable organizations published on the Internet web site of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LCO No. 1564 1 of 2

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5297
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1564

Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AND MILITARY
AFFAIRS

Introduced by:
(VA)

AN ACT CONCERNING QUALIFIED VETERANS' CHARITABLE
ORGANIZATIONS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
INTERNET WEB SITE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 27 -100f of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
1, 2026): 3
(b) On and after July 1, 2013, the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, 4
or the commissioner's designee, shall, within available appropriations, 5
publish a list of qualified veterans' charitable organizations. The 6
commissioner shall place any qualified veterans' charitable organization 7
on such list for a period of three years. Organizations may apply and 8
reapply to the commissioner for inclusion on [the list by submitting ] 9
such list, and the commissioner shall annually solicit such applications 10
and reapplications from organizations that the commissioner deems 11
likely to qualify for such inclusion. Each o rganization so applying or 12
reapplying shall submit to the commissioner, in a form and manner 13
prescribed by the commissioner, information regarding such 14

Raised Bill No. 5297

LCO No. 1564 2 of 2

organization's status [to the commissioner, on a form prescribed by the 15
commissioner,] and any additional information the commissioner 16
deems necessary to determine whether such organization constitutes a 17
qualified veterans' charitable organization. A qualified veterans' 18
charitable organization is one which: (1) Holds itself out to be 19
established for any benevolent, educational, philanthropic, humane, 20
scientific, patriotic, social welfare or advocacy purpose relating to or on 21
behalf of veterans; and (2) has been either (A) a nonstock corporation, 22
organized under chapter 602, or any predecessor thereto, for three or 23
more years, or (B) a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the 24
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding 25
internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to 26
time, for three or more consecutive years. The list of qualified veterans' 27
charitable organizations, a link to each such organization's Internet web 28
site [,] and the qualifications for inclusion on such list , as set forth in 29
subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, shall be published on the 30
informational Internet web site established in this section and shall bear 31
a disclaimer as follows: "This list is prepared for the public solely for the 32
purpose of information. The state of Connecticut provides no warranty 33
about the content or accuracy of the content herein.". 34
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 27-100f(b)

Statement of Purpose:
To require the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs to annually solicit
organizations for inclusion on the list of qualified veterans' charitable
organizations published on the Internet web site of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.

[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.]