The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Connecticut transfers $100,000 to the Neglected Cemetery Account and creates a public reporting portal for unmaintained veterans' graves
Last action · June 4, 2026: Signed by the GovernorSponsors: Christine Cohen and 16 others
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What This Bill Does
Connecticut appropriates $100,000 for neglected cemeteries and requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to create an online reporting form for unmaintained veterans' graves starting July 1, 2026. Municipalities must be notified within seven days of a report to ensure local veteran grave committees take corrective action. The law also protects municipal workers from civil and criminal liability when clearing overgrown cemeteries.
Local governments gain both financial support and a legal shield while facing tighter state tracking of neglected wartime veterans' graves, backed by a $100,000 state transfer to fund local cleanups.
- The legislation implements recommendations from a working group established under prior special act 23-25 concerning the upkeep of veterans' graves. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Municipalities
Cities and towns must receive state notifications regarding neglected graves, direct local committees to take corrective action, and assume responsibility for grave maintenance costs if private funds are absent.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The department must create and maintain an online reporting form and issue municipal notices within seven days of receiving a report.
Cemetery trustees and managers
Cemetery operators may receive annual care funds from municipalities for maintaining qualifying wartime veterans' graves.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I report an unmaintained veteran's grave?
Who is responsible for paying to maintain neglected veterans' graves if private funds are unavailable?
Are municipal workers protected from lawsuits when clearing overgrown cemeteries?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
29 actions- Jun 4, 2026Governor of ConnecticutEnrolledSigned by the Governor
- May 27, 2026Governor of ConnecticutTransmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor
- May 27, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyTransmitted to the Secretary of State
- May 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyEnrolledPublic Act 26-111
- May 6, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyIn Concurrence
- May 6, 2026HouseFloorHouse Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A
Show 23 earlier actions
- May 6, 2026HouseFloorHouse Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A
- May 1, 2026HouseHouse Calendar Number 551
- May 1, 2026HouseFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
- Apr 30, 2026HouseRules Suspended, Transmitted to the House
- Apr 30, 2026SenateFloorSenate Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A
- Apr 30, 2026SenateFloorSenate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 5334
- Apr 30, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyRules Suspended
- Apr 30, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Apr 30, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyNew File by Committee on Appropriations
- Apr 30, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 30, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 30, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable
- Apr 28, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyImmediate Transmittal
- Apr 28, 2026SenateReferred by Senate to Committee on Appropriations
- Mar 24, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFile Number 155
- Mar 24, 2026SenateSenate Calendar Number 108
- Mar 24, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Mar 24, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 18, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReferred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/23/26 5:00 PM
- Mar 11, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 10, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable Substitute
- Feb 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyPublic Hearing 02/24
- Feb 19, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyCommitteeReferred to Joint Committee on Veterans' and Military Affairs
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 12 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Centralized Digital Intake for Local Graves
The act transitions oversight of local neglected veterans' graves from purely decentralized municipal checks to a state-level digital intake system with strict notification deadlines.
Connected Entities
Sources
cga.ct.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy5Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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