SECTION 1. Section 3 of chapter 103 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following 2 paragraphs:-

Notwithstanding any regulation to the contrary in determining the eligibility of applicants for consideration for appointment to any status as pilot candidate or for a warrant or full branch pilot commission, the pilot commission shall adopt regulations providing for preference to veterans as defined in clause 43 of section 7 of chapter 4 of the general laws and those who were honorably discharged from or currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Officer Corps.   If an active duty member or veteran applicant has a valid United States Coast Guard-issued Unlimited Master’s License and a First Class Federal Pilotage endorsement for any part of Boston Harbor, he shall be eligible for preference for appointment as a state-commissioned pilot apprentice.  No person’s status as a veteran or as a military reservist, and no person’s susceptibility to recall to military active duty, shall affect that person’s eligibility for selection for pilot candidate training or for warrant or full branch pilot commission.