| Senator
Moore's Veterans Record |
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- Senator
Moore is extremely proud of his record of
strong support for our veterans and for
those serving in the military, especially
the brave men and women of the Massachusetts
National Guard.
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Senator Moore
co-sponsored a bill that expands the
definition of the term veteran, enabling
thousands of Massachusetts veterans to
access state veterans' benefits. The bill
brings the state's definition of a veteran
more closely into alignment with the
standards for federal veterans' benefits,
adding those who served between 1975-1990 as
"veterans" under Massachusetts
law.
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- Senator
Moore supported a bill enacted in 2004 that
would have changed veterans retirement
benefits for an additional yearly allowance
of up to $300 for veterans who retire under
accidental disability for each year of
creditable service. This additional yearly
allowance is already provided to other
state. Unfortunately, Governor Romney vetoed
the bill even though it would have corrected
a glaring oversight in the law.
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- Senator
Moore supports programs to ensure
veterans’ access to health care, jobs,
housing, education and other benefits,
including the retention of veterans’
preference in civil service positions.
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- Senator
Moore supported a bill to expand the
definition of “Korean veteran” to
include those who received the Korea Defense
Service Medal to conform to a recent change
in federal law.
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- Senator
Moore was proud to play a key role in the
passage last year of a bill to help those
public employees called up for active duty
in the National Guard or Reserves to fight
in Iraq, Afghanistan or other places in the
War on Terrorism. The new law supplements
the military pay and benefits of state
employees, and local employees if accepted
by their community, to the full civilian
salary level in order to prevent the
families of those serving from
impoverishment.
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- Senator
Moore has sponsored and co-sponsored
numerous bills to honor veterans and
veterans organizations – the Disabled
American Veterans Bridge and the Polish
American Veterans Bridge in Webster, the
Veterans of Dudley and Webster Bridge over
the French River between Webster and Dudley,
the Dudley-Gendron Post American Legion
Square on Route 146 in Sutton, the Leonide
Lemire VFW Post Bridge in Southbridge, the
Rosaire Rajotte Bridge on Route 122 in
Rockdale, the Anthony Dauksz Square in
Webster, the Staff Sgt. Charles Ampagoomian,
Sr. Memorial Bridge on Route 122 in
Northbridge, the Sgt. John Moran and Cpl.
Richard Moran Memorial Bridge in Linwood,
the Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Fitzgerald Memorial
Bridge in Northbridge and the naming of the
Northbridge National Guard Armory in honor
of Ross Rajotte.
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- Senator
Moore was honored to assist the family of
Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Fitzgerald, a
Vietnam-era MIA, in bringing his remains
home to Northbridge to be properly buried in
St. Patrick’s Cemetery.
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- Senator
Moore stood up to former Governor Romney when he
wanted to "reform" state
government by placing the Department of
Veterans Affairs under the Human Services
Department comparable to the department that
administers welfare! He helped lead the
effort to reject that proposal and raise the
status of veterans services to a cabinet
post as Secretary of Veterans Affairs –
cabinet level status for veterans.
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