Bill > H4978

This bill proposes several key provisions: 1. It establishes June 14th, September 18th, December 13th, and August 4th as annual days of recognition for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, National Guard, and U.S. Coast Guard, respectively, to be observed with flag displays and public exercises. 2. It allows members of the armed forces and their spouses or dependents to be considered Massachusetts residents for the purposes of admission and tuition at public higher education institutions. 3. It creates a limited slot machine license for veterans' organizations, subject to regulations and oversight, allowing them to operate up to 5 slot machines for charitable, fraternal, or civic purposes. 4. It establishes the Massachusetts Medal of Fidelity to be awarded to the next of kin of service members or veterans who died from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder or a service-connected disease, condition, or injury related to harmful exposures. 5. It creates the Massachusetts National Guard Family Education Program, allowing qualified members to transfer their tuition benefits to their dependents. 6. It provides for the enrollment of military-connected students whose parents are being relocated to the Commonwealth, allowing for remote registration. 7. It establishes a "military spouse certificate" to allow spouses of service members stationed in the Commonwealth or a bordering state to teach without meeting all certification requirements. 8. It requires the Department of Public Health to develop educational materials and an informational pamphlet about the health effects associated with exposure to open burn pits during military deployments.

House Committee on Ways and Means (H)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H4978