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H3871 • 2025

An Act authorizing amending, updating, and aligning the Commonwealth’s definition of veteran

An Act authorizing amending, updating, and aligning the Commonwealth’s definition of veteran

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The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Kelly W. Pease
Last action
2026-01-22
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act authorizing amending, updating, and aligning the Commonwealth’s definition of veteran

An Act authorizing amending, updating, and aligning the Commonwealth’s definition of veteran By Representative Pease of Westfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act authorizing amending, updating, and aligning the Commonwealth’s definition of veteran By Representative Pease of Westfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 3871) of Kelly W.
  • Pease, Dennis C.
  • Gallagher and Kenneth P.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-22 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

  2. 2025-09-30 Joint

    Hearing rescheduled to 09/30/2025 from 01:00 PM-02:50 PM in A-1 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time

  3. 2025-09-19 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 09/30/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1

  4. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs

  5. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act authorizing amending, updating, and aligning the Commonwealth’s definition of veteran
By Representative Pease of Westfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3871) of Kelly W. Pease, Dennis C. Gallagher and Kenneth P. Sweezey relative to the definition of veteran. Veterans and Federal Affairs.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.3871

SECTION 1. Section 7, 43rd clause of Chapter 4 of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking the 43rd clause in its entirety and inserting in its place the following:

Forty-third, ''Veteran'' shall mean (1) a person who served on active duty in the Uniformed Services or on full time national guard or reserve duty, under Titles 10 or 32 of the United States Code or under sections 38, 40 and 41 of chapter 33, and (2) who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable; (3) a member of the American Merchant Marine who served in armed conflict between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable; (4) a member of the reserve component who has served s minimum of six years as an active drilling member of the reserve component; or (5) any person who served in the Uniformed Services, and was awarded a service-connected disability by the U.S. Veterans Administration or who died in such service under conditions other than dishonorable shall be deemed a veteran.

“Active Duty” shall include (1) full time service; and (2) any period of active or inactive duty for training during which the individual was disabled or died.

“Armed Forces” shall include army, marine corps, navy, air force, space force, coast guard and any additional military service created by the U.S. Department of Defense including reserve components thereof.

“Uniformed Services” shall include armed forces, commissioned corps of the public health service and commissioned corps of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration. None of the following shall be deemed to be a ''veteran'':

(a) Any person who at the time of entering into the armed forces of the United States had declared his intention to become a subject or citizen of the United States and withdrew his intention under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July ninth, nineteen hundred and eighteen.

(b) Any person who was discharged from the said armed forces on his own application or solicitation by reason of his being an enemy alien.

(c) Any person who has been proved guilty of willful desertion.

(d) Any person whose only service in the armed forces of the United States consists of his service as a member of the coast guard auxiliary or as a temporary member of the coast guard reserve, or both.

(e) Any person whose last discharge or release from the armed forces is dishonorable.

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