An Act Authorizing The Adjutant General To Establish And Remove Certain State Military Awards.
Summary
SB 1153 authorizes the Adjutant General of Connecticut to establish new state military awards or ribbons for members of the state armed forces and, separately, to remove awards or ribbons that the Adjutant General created on or after July 1, 2025. The bill expressly preserves awards, ribbons, and other honors that were established before that date, as well as any awards created by the General Assembly itself. In effect, it gives the Military Department limited administrative flexibility over newer internal recognition programs while protecting existing statutory and legislatively created honors.
The bill also updates and restates several existing duties of the Adjutant General under section 27-20, including maintaining service records, issuing authorized medals and documents, managing military property, conducting inspections and annual reporting, adopting regulations, delegating duties, and entering contracts for goods and services needed by the department. Most of these provisions appear to codify or reorganize existing responsibilities rather than make broad policy changes, but the new subsection on awards is the central substantive change.
Impact
The bill amends Connecticut General Statutes section 27-20, effective July 1, 2025. Its main legal effect is to expand the Adjutant General’s authority to create and later discontinue certain state military awards or ribbons established on or after that date, while limiting that authority so it cannot be used to eliminate preexisting state honors or awards created by the legislature. The bill also preserves the Adjutant General’s existing administrative powers over records, property, reporting, contracting, and military department operations.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support and little opposition: the bill received a 20-0 joint favorable vote in committee. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate broader disagreement. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed as a routine administrative measure with a narrow policy change regarding military awards.
Contention
The only notable point of potential contention is the scope of the Adjutant General’s discretion to create and remove awards. The bill gives the office authority to establish and discontinue awards it creates after July 1, 2025, but it also draws a clear line preventing removal of awards established earlier or by the General Assembly. That limitation suggests an effort to balance administrative flexibility with legislative control over longstanding honors. No other specific objections or competing viewpoints are reflected in the provided materials.