Representatives Jones and Haggerty secure initial House approval of Medal of Fidelity license plate legislation

BOSTON – The Massachusetts House of Representatives has given its initial approval to a proposal by House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and State Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) authorizing the creation of a license plate honoring Medal of Fidelity recipients and their families.

On July 31, 2026, the House engrossed House Bill 5624, An Act establishing a Medal of Fidelity license plate, on a unanimous vote of 157-0. The bill, which was filed by Representative Jones and co-sponsored by Representative Haggerty, will now move to the Senate for its review.

The Medal of Fidelity was established under Section 4 of Chapter 154 of the Acts of 2022, An Act relative to military spouse-licensure portability, education and enrollment of dependents, also known as the SPEED Act. This medal is provided to the next of kin of a Massachusetts service member or veteran whose death was a result of service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder; a service-connected traumatic brain injury; or a service-connected disease or injury related to exposure to harmful toxins, herbicides, agents or materials, where the exposure occurred while serving in the U.S. armed forces (active duty or reserves), or while serving in the Massachusetts National Guard.

House Bill 5624 authorizes the creation of a new Medal of Fidelity license plate, which would be made available by the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) free of charge to the same qualifying next of kin of a service member or veteran who has been awarded the Medal of Fidelity. The bill provides for the issuance of a distinctive registration plate for one private passenger motor vehicle owned and principally used by the qualifying next of kin. It also requires the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to work with the Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard to identify past Medal of Fidelity recipients and to notify them of their eligibility for the license plate within six months of the plate going into circulation.

“The Medal of Fidelity was established four years ago to honor our state’s fallen veterans and their surviving family members,” said Representative Jones. “Providing a Medal of Fidelity license plate is a way to further recognize and thank our military families and their loved ones for their service and sacrifice on behalf of our country.”

“The Medal of Fidelity license plate is an important token of appreciation that continues to recognize and honor the ultimate sacrifice made by our state’s military service members and their families, adding to the Commonwealth’s Medal of Fidelity,” said Representative Haggerty. “The license plate will be a visible, lasting reminder that the Commonwealth has not forgotten and that the families and their loved ones’ service and sacrifice matter to all of us.”

Jones and Haggerty filed the Medal of Fidelity license plate bill in January of 2025 at the request of Reading resident Arthur Vars, a 2019 recipient of the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty, a separate military award which is provided to the next of kin of service men and women from the Commonwealth who were killed in action, died in service while in a designated combat area in the line of duty, or died as a result of wounds received in action. Mr. Vars qualified for the medal because his uncle, US Army Sgt. Christopher Young Vars, was a World War II and Korean War veteran from Reading who died while being held as a prisoner of war in North Korea.

Mr. Vars previously worked with the Reading legislative delegation to advocate for legislation establishing a Medal of Liberty license plate. That plate has been in circulation since 2022.

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