February 15, 2017

Buckbee Presents Proposals to Veterans’ Affairs Committee

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Hartford – State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-67) testified on Tuesday afternoon before the legislature’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee on two separate proposals. The first proposal attempts to remove the required fee for an identification indicator on a veteran’s motor vehicle license and the second seeks to streamline certain occupational licenses for military spouses.

“The last thing any veteran should face from their own state is an additional fee to proudly wear the name of ‘veteran’ on his or her own driver’s license,” Rep. Buckbee explained. “These brave men and women have certainly paid enough through their service to our state and country. It is simply egregious to require such a fee.”

Currently, a veteran seeking to put their status on a driver’s license or identification card is charged a $30.00 fee. If the bill, H.B. 6284 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE COLLECTION OF AN ADDITIONAL FEE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR’S LICENSE OR IDENTITY CARD INDICATING A PERSON’S STATUS AS A VETERAN, is successfully passed, then this fee will be eliminated.

“Military spouses make a significant sacrifice as well, which is why the state should be helping military families find employment,” Rep. Buckbee commented on his occupational licensing proposal. “By streamlining the occupational license transfer from state-to-state, this will encourage a stronger workforce that will ultimately empower New Milford and all of Connecticut’s communities.”

According to Buckbee, there are cumbersome steps to undertake when attempting to transfer occupational licenses that have been legitimately acquired in other states. If passed, H.B. 6067 AN ACT CONCERNING OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING AND MILITARY SPOUSES, would effectively remove the duplicative process of an additional state certification and re-registration.

The Veterans’ Affairs Committee will consider both of these proposals over the coming weeks. The next step in the legislative process will be for these bills to be brought out on the House Floor for debate, pending favorable committee action.

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