SECTION 1.  Chapter 33 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 67 the following section:-

Section 67A.  There shall be a medal of liberty which shall be awarded to the next of kin of service men and women from the commonwealth killed in action or who died as a result of wounds received in action.  The adjutant general and 2 field grade officers of the armed forces of the commonwealth detailed by the commander-in-chief shall constitute a commission to make recommendations to the commander-in-chief for the awarding of the medal of liberty.

SECTION 2. The last sentence of section 4 of chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following words:-  , the secretary of veterans services and local veterans’ service officers.

SECTION 3.  Section 89 of chapter 54 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

An absent uniformed service voter and oversea voter as defined in section 107 of the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, may request an absentee ballot by mail or electronically for a preliminary, primary or general election for a federal, state, city, town, county or district office or any ballot question.  In the application, such an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter as defined in section 107 of the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act may designate that his absentee ballot be transmitted by mail or electronically for any such election or ballot question, but if such voter does not designate his preference, the absentee ballot shall be sent to the voter by mail.  The state secretary may promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this paragraph.

SECTION 4.  Section 91B of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the words “and (c),” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-  , (c) and (d). 

SECTION 5. Said section 91B of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following subsection:-

(d) To absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters as defined in section 107 of the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, a ballot for a preliminary, primary or general election for federal, state, city, town, county or district office or for a ballot question may be delivered either by mail or electronically.  The state secretary may promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this subsection, including designating at least 1 means of electronic communication for use by absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters who wish to register to vote or to vote in a jurisdiction in the commonwealth to request voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications in accordance with state and federal law and to establish procedures for electronic transmission of election materials. 

SECTION 6. Section 92 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(d) Absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters as defined in section 107 of the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, may return a ballot for a primary or election which includes a preliminary, primary or general election for federal, state, city, town, county or district office or for a ballot question either by mail or electronically.  The state secretary may promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this subsection, including establishing procedures for electronic transmission of election materials. 

SECTION 7. Section 94 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

The city or town clerk or a person designated by the clerk shall, upon receipt of a completed absentee ballot from absent uniformed services voters or overseas voters as defined in section 107 of the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, verify the voter’s qualifications.  If the voter’s qualifications cannot be verified, the clerk shall notify the voter as soon as possible that his qualifications could not be verified and request additional information to assist in the verification process.  If the additional information is not timely received from the voter, the clerk shall reject the ballot and notify the voter that his ballot has been rejected.   

SECTION 8.   Section 95 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

Preliminary, primary or general election for federal, state, city, town, county or district office or any ballot question write-in absentee ballots from absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters as defined in section 107 of the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act shall be counted for the preliminary, primary or general election for the federal, state, city, town, county or district office or for the ballot question if received by the city or town clerk before the hour fixed for closing the polls as provided in section 93 but only if no valid state ballot has been received from the same voter; provided, however, that it shall be counted even if the voter has not applied for a state absent voter ballot or if the voter’s application was received less than 30 days before the primary.  Such ballots shall be processed in the office of the registrars after the hour of the closing of the polls and the registrars shall amend each precinct tally sheet to include the counted preliminary, primary or general election for federal, state, city, town, county or district office or any ballot question write-in absentee ballots.  

SECTION 9. Section 26 of chapter 149 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 7 to 9, inclusive, the words “male veterans as defined in clause Forty-third of section seven of chapter four, and who are qualified to perform the work which the employment relates” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-  veterans as defined in clause Forty-third of section 7 of chapter 4 and who are qualified to perform the work which the employment relates and, within such preference,  preference shall be given to service-disabled veterans.

SECTION 10. Said section 26 of said chapter 149, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “district”, in line 17, the following words:-  and, within such preference, preference shall be given to service-disabled veterans.

SECTION 11. The executive office of health and human services, in consultation with the executive office for administration and finance and the department of veterans affairs, shall study the current capacity to provide appropriate health care services for Massachusetts veterans and assess the necessity and feasibility of expanding capacity at current soldiers’ homes or for establishing additional soldiers’ homes in the commonwealth. The study shall examine factors including, but not limited to, the current and projected populations of veterans, the geographical distribution of the populations and the needs of the populations.  The study shall assess potential funding mechanisms for expanded capacity at current soldiers’ homes or for the construction and operation of additional soldiers’ home, including the availability of federal, state or private funds.  The study shall also examine the possibility of providing services to veterans by contract with private providers. The executive office shall report the results of its study and its findings to the general court not later than November 11, 2010.

SECTION 12.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, veterans who reside in the commonwealth and were not dishonorably discharged from the armed services may receive credit toward or exemption from apprenticeship, school and other requirements to acquire a permit or license to perform work in an area requiring a license. Individual state licensing boards may, as necessary, promulgate rules and regulations to award veterans’ exemptions from or such credit towards licensure for all related military experience and schooling in the area in which the veteran seeks to be licensed. The rules and regulations may include, but not be limited to, accepting all or a portion of a veteran’s military training and work experience in lieu of apprenticeship requirements.

SECTION 13.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a resident of the commonwealth who is sent overseas as a member of the United States Armed Forces and is eligible to receive benefits pursuant to section 16 of chapter 130 of the acts of 2005 may receive such benefits each time he is deployed; provided, however, that an eligible resident shall receive the full bonus allowed by said section 16 of said chapter 130 upon return after his first deployment and 50 per cent of the bonus after each subsequent deployment, provided that appropriated funding is available and the state treasurer certifies that the relevant account has sufficient funds to maintain such an initiative.  The state treasurer shall annually provide a status report on the account to the secretary of veterans services, the secretary of administration and finance, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs.

SECTION 14. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a veterans’ hall of fame council to study the feasibility of establishing a veterans’ hall of fame in the commonwealth. The commission shall consist of the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives or their designees who shall serve as co-chairs, the minority leaders of the senate and house of representatives or their designees and the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs or their designees, the adjutant general of the national guard or his designee, the secretary of veterans’ services or his designee, the state superintendent of state office buildings or his designee and 2 persons to be appointed by the governor who shall be honorably-discharged veterans.  Members shall serve without compensation.

(b) The council shall review and analyze the feasibility of and costs associated with establishing a veterans’ hall of fame in the commonwealth and shall study reasonable methods and criteria that may be utilized for nominating and inducting veterans who are residents of the commonwealth into the veterans’ hall of fame.

(c) The commission shall submit its finding and recommendations for establishing a veterans’ hall of fame in the commonwealth by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs not later than November 11, 2010.