SECTION 1. Section 5 of Chapter 115 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the sixth paragraph the following paragraph:-

Any city or town may incur liability and make expenditures in any fiscal year in excess of available appropriations for veterans’ benefits provided that such expenditures are approved by the town manager and the finance or advisory committee in a town having a town manager, by the selectmen and the finance or advisory committee in any other town, by the city manager and the city council in a city having a city manager or by the mayor and city council in any other city; provided, however, that the appropriation for such purposes in said fiscal year equaled or exceeded the appropriation for said purposes in the prior fiscal year. Expenditures made under authority of this section shall be certified to the board of assessors and included in the next annual tax rate. Every city or town shall annually, not later than September fifteenth, report to the division of local services of the department of revenue the total amounts appropriated and expended, including any funding or reimbursements received from the commonwealth, for veterans’ benefits in the fiscal year ending on the preceding June thirtieth.