The governor received a standing ovation from a roomful of current and former military service members after briefly explaining the new veterans legislation she’s filed.

Gov. Maura Healey did not take the observed federal holiday off on Friday, but was instead in Boston to participate in the first Veterans Day event of her nearly one-year-old administration. She joined a ceremony packed with just enough military pomp and circumstance to fit the venue and occasion.

“It is indeed a privilege to be here this morning with all of you in historic Faneuil Hall to pay tribute to our Massachusetts veterans and to celebrate Veterans Day,” Healey said after being escorted to the stage by members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company.

Healey went on to thank the 243,000 U.S. military veterans who call the Bay State home and explain the efforts her administration has made to improve their lives since taking office in January.

The first and most obvious example of her commitment to tackling the issues important to veterans was sitting not far from where she was speaking. Executive Office of Veterans Services Secretary Dr. Jon Santiago, a medical doctor and a major in the Army Reserves, is the first cabinet-level veterans secretary in the history of the state.

“This is an important and special veterans day for us at the Executive Office of Veterans Services. It’s our very first,” Santiago said.

The HERO Act

Healey brought the hundreds-strong audience of veterans and service advocates to their feet after she explained how An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans, or the HERO Act, will improve their lives.

Filed with the Legislature on Thursday, Healey’s bill is the first “comprehensive and expansive” piece of veterans-focused legislation filed by a Bay State governor in over two decades. It includes 17 different spending and policy initiatives covering modernization of services, commitments to “inclusivity and greater representation,” and expansion of state veterans benefits.

The act would up the annuity provided to disabled Massachusetts veterans from $2,000 to $2,500, provide reimbursement for veterans receiving state services who seek behavioral health treatment, and propose a $2,500 tax credit for businesses who hire disabled or low-income veterans.

It would also up the state employee service buyback plan from 180 days maximum to 10 years, allowing retroactive application for state workers who would benefit. The act would help protect veterans receiving state benefits — also known as Chapter 115 benefits — from losing those benefits when their federal benefits change.

Healey’s bill would also establish a working group to study the “health benefits of psychedelics as treatment for veterans suffering from physical or mental health disorders related to their service.”

It would allow municipalities to double their veterans property tax exemption, and remove the RMV’s fee for veterans license plates, among other provisions.

“Veterans day is not just a day of reflections, but a day of renewal. A day that unites us in gratitude and inspires us for the work ahead,” Healey said. “That’s also why (Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll) and I, our administration, we’ve made veterans a priority.”

Christopher Reyes, a U.S. Army Veteran living in Roxbury, said the state’s $40 specialty license plate fee for veterans plates always seemed like a slap in the face. He’s never gotten the plates before, he said, but he might now.

“It’s just nice that she even thought about it,” he told the Herald.

Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse, Joe Milano and Timothy Haraden salute during a Veterans Day ceremony at Faneuil Hall. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Governor Maura Healey walks into Faneuil Hall during a Veterans Day ceremony. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)