House Republican Press Release

 

 

 

March 10, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

 

A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE State Representative Ruth Fahrbach

 

Proposals, information fair to benefit many of our veterans   

 

Two bills that recently came before the legislature’s Transportation Committee (of which I am a member) would result in benefits for veterans, if passed into law.

 

The first bill, S.B. 503 would create a new “Support Our Troops,’’ commemorative license plate that would provide dedicated resources for veterans’ organizations. In essence, the bill would streamline the process of getting the special plate approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

 

There are two ways to get DMV to agree to a new plate. The quickest way is through the legislative process. The other, more time consuming way, is by having a sufficient number of motorists commit to buying a plate through petitions. Currently, a grassroots effort is underway to petition the DMV, but it would be more timely for the legislature to simply enact a law.

 

Currently there are a dozen commemorative plates that produce revenue for dedicated causes such as the Save Long Island Sound. That has raised more than $4 million for the fund. If the ‘Support Our Troops’ plate can generate half that much it will be a success and the least that we can do is show our appreciation for our troops.

Another proposal, H.B. 5044 “An Act Concerning Gold Star Family Number Plates,” would allow a member of the immediate family of a serviceman or woman killed in military action to obtain a Gold Star Family license plate free of charge. A family member includes a spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, child, grandmother or grandfather of a resident of Connecticut who was killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed forces.

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There will be a Veterans Benefits and Information Fair on April 19, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building, located at 300 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. The fair will feature information for veterans on services offered by government and veterans service organizations, educational institutions and non-profit agencies. All veterans are urged to attend the fair.

The event is sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs. For more information, log on to www.ct.gov/ctva, or call my office in Hartford at 1-800-842-1423.

 

State Rep. Ruth Fahrbach represents the 61st District, including Suffield, and parts of Windsor and East Granby, in the General Assembly.