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House approves expanded veterans package to boost services, tuition waivers and recruitment incentives
Summary
Members passed a multipart veterans package (presented as a —Connecticut Hero Act— package) that includes enlistment incentives, expanded eligibility for federal benefits, tuition/fee waivers, additional veteran service officers and a disabled‑veterans revolving loan fund; sponsors described it as a bipartisan care package for service members.
The House advanced a multi‑section veterans package assembled as part of the committee genda, a set of bills the committee described as a second phase of a Connecticut Hero Act. Representative Foster, sponsor and chair of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, described the measure as an amalgamation of bipartisan priorities and said the package "resuscitated this zombie bill and it is now alive and well."
Major elements adopted on the floor included:
- Extension of a small enlistment incentive program (JEET) that provides recruitment bonuses for National Guard enlistments; - Sections that exclude certain federal veterans benefits from mean‑tested calculations so more veterans may qualify for state benefit programs (DSS benefits and energy/fuel assistance); - Expanded tuition and fee waivers at Connecticut public higher‑education institutions for veterans; and - Provisions to add veteran service officers in underserviced regions, create a disabled veterans revolving loan program, and a UConn‑led study of property‑tax exemptions for veterans and municipal impacts.
Representative Anderson and other members praised the combination of bills as tangible support for veterans. Floor discussion also included a study of so‑called "claims sharks" (third‑party firms that help veterans file claims and sometimes charge contingent fees): sponsors asked for a study to determine whether predatory practices exist and, if so, how to respond.
What happens next: The package passed the House and was recorded on roll calls; sponsors said implementation will require agency coordination and some items involve modest fiscal offsets or use existing funds.
