Seven pieces of legislation aimed to provide resources and support to veterans and their families were signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday. These bills build upon this administration’s dedication to acknowledging the sacrifices made by veterans and ensuring they can return to their civilian lives more easily.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the veterans who risked their lives to serve our country,” Governor Hochul said. “This legislation will provide resources and support to New York’s veterans, honoring their service and recognizing their heroism.”
S.7461/A.3381A clarifies the definition of a veteran to include career members of the armed forces for tax exemption purposes. This bill updates the law to reflect current military practices and to create an incentive to keep career members of the military here in New York.
S.3309A/A.6084A will allow, beginning on April 1, 2024, residents who are veterans and members of a Gold Star family free access to State parks, historic sites, and recreational facilities in New York State.
S.1671A/A.6140A requires the small business revolving loan fund within New York’s Empire State Development Corporation, to market to veteran-owned enterprises and service-disabled veteran-owned enterprises.
S.2372/A.1084 requires that the number of applicants applying as veterans, or a surviving spouse of a veteran, be made available on the Mitchell-Lama application waitlist so that those applying have a clear indication of whether there are other veterans applying for the same housing.
S.454A/A.3116A directs counties and the city of New York to contact a veterans’ organization to collect any unclaimed remains of a deceased veteran if they do not have any next of kin or other designee to provide for their disposition. This legislation ensures all who serve our county are given a proper interment.
S.7378/A.7379 eliminates the “wartime service” requirement that prohibits a large number of interested veterans from seeking employment in certain civil service roles, expanding the application pool.
S.291/A.1347 establishes VIP NY, a veteran internship program that will award ten percent of available internships in the Assembly Youth Participation program and the Senate Student Program to eligible honorably discharged veterans.
In September, Governor Hochul announced the award of nearly $4 million in federal funding to expand and improve the New York State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes, the first veterans cemetery owned and operated by New York State
