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Bill

H 3830

Orders of Protection

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Lawson

The bill standardizes and speeds reimbursements to cities and towns for veterans’ benefits to within six months after certification.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · H 3830

Summary: H.3830 — An Act providing for timely reimbursement of cities and towns for veterans' benefits

Purpose

This bill seeks to ensure timely reimbursement to cities and towns for expenditures made to provide veterans’ benefits. It changes the reimbursement deadline to a standardized, sooner timeline, improving cash flow for municipalities and reducing budget volatility related to veterans’ benefits.

Key Provisions

  • Section 1 (Timing of Reimbursement): Amends the fourth sentence of section 6 of Chapter 115 of the General Laws (as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition). The current deadline—“on or before November tenth in the year after such expenditures”—is replaced with a new deadline: reimbursements must be made “no later than 6 months after the date on which such expenditures are certified by the secretary.”

    • In short: the reimbursement deadline becomes six months after certification, rather than a fixed November deadline in the following year.

  • Section 2 (Effective Date): The act would take effect two years after enactment.

Who Is Affected

  • Primary: Cities and towns that incur expenditures for veterans’ benefits, and the Commonwealth’s Secretary (the secretary who certifies expenditures for reimbursement).

  • Beneficiaries: Veterans receiving benefits indirectly, as increases in municipalities’ financial stability may support ongoing benefit administration.

Legislative and Procedural Context

  • Sponsor: Representative Natalie M. Blais (with co-sponsors Mindy Domb and Joanne M. Comerford).

  • Committee: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs; related matter previously filed in a prior session (HD 2722; replaces the current filing).

  • Status and Schedule:

    • Introduced: February 27, 2025
    • Referred to committee: February 27, 2025
    • Hearing: Rescheduled to June 24, 2025 (originally set for an earlier date; updated to a hearing in the specified session era)
    • Hearing location updates indicate designation in both A-1 and 437 rooms for the hearing date

  • Legislative framework: Part of the 194th General Court (2025-2026)

Potential Impact

  • Administrative/financial: Standardizes and accelerates reimbursement timing, reducing municipalities’ reliance on late payments and improving budgeting for local veterans’ benefits.

  • Fiscal considerations: Shifts the timing to a certification-based trigger, which may necessitate efficient certification processes by the secretary to meet the six-month deadline.

Notes

  • The bill’s effective date allows for a transition period before the new reimbursement timeline applies.
  • Trackers should monitor the June 24, 2025 hearing for deliberations and potential amendments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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