Amendment ID: S2124-5

Amendment 5

Veteran Community Service Exchange

Mr. O'Connor moves to amend the bill by inserting at the end the following new sections:-

SECTION 19. Section 5 of chapter 59 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end the following new Clause:-

Fifty-ninth. In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section, the board of selectmen of a town or in a municipality having a town council form of government, the town council or the mayor with the approval of the city council in a city may establish a program to allow veterans, as defined in the forty-third clause of section 7 of chapter 4 of the general laws, to volunteer to provide services to such city or town. In exchange for such volunteer services, the city or town shall reduce the real property tax obligations of such veteran on their tax bills, and any reduction so provided shall be in addition to any exemption or abatement to which any such person is otherwise entitled. No person shall receive a rate of, or be credited with, more than the current minimum wage of the commonwealth per hour for up to 175 hours of volunteer services provided in a given tax year; provided, that a city or town may limit the number of hours of volunteer services for which a person may receive a reduction on their tax bills to fewer than 175. A city or town, by vote of its legislative body, subject to its charter, may adjust the exemption in this clause by allowing an approved representative, for persons physically unable, to provide such services to the city or town.