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HB 5298 Connecticut House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROJECTS TO PLACE OR MAINTAIN WAR OR VETERANS' MEMORIALS OR MONUMENTS.

HB 5298 establishes a state grant program administered by Connecticut's Department of Veterans Affairs, providing funding for capital projects benefiting veterans. It directly assists municipalities and nonprofit veterans' organizations by covering costs for repairing mechanical systems at homes of elderly, disabled, or low-income veterans, and maintaining veterans' memorials or monuments. The program, effective October 1, 2026, will be funded through state bonds (with bond details to be finalized), requiring the department to develop eligibility criteria by January 2027 and submit annual reports to the legislature. This creates a structured, state-funded mechanism to support physical infrastructure needs specific to veterans' communities.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates state bond funds for veterans' capital projects, increasing government spending on public services (veterans' programs). Directly supports budget & taxes through new appropriations.90% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransEstablishes grant program funding home repairs for vulnerable veterans and memorial maintenance, directly advancing veterans' services through state-funded capital projects.95% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 19, 2026 Last action Apr 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → VA Joint Favorable Substitute · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to broaden its scope from assisting veterans with home repairs to exclusively funding the placement or maintenance of war or veterans' memorials and monuments. Eligibility was shifted from municipalities and veterans' organizations to municipalities and nonprofit providers of human or social services. A new provision authorizes the State Bond Commission to issue up to $2 million in bonds to fund these grants, and a specific reporting requirement was added for the department to submit annual reports on grant applications and awards.
Scope change
The bill's scope changed from a broad program covering veteran home repairs and memorials to a focused program solely for memorials and monuments.
SCOPE

The program purpose was narrowed to only cover capital expenditure projects for placing or maintaining war or veterans' memorials or monuments, removing the previous authority to fund home repairs for elderly or disabled veterans.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible recipients were changed from municipalities and nonprofit veterans' organizations to municipalities and nonprofit providers of human or social services.

FISCAL

A new subsection was added authorizing the State Bond Commission to issue state bonds with a total principal amount not exceeding $2 million to fund the grant program.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added mandating that the Department of Veterans Affairs submit an annual report to the joint standing committee on veterans' and military affairs detailing the number of applications received, grants awarded, and the list of recipients.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Finance, Revenue and Bonding
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Veterans' and Military Affairs
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.