This bill authorizes a special "North Country Honor Flight" license plate for vehicles in the state, requiring an additional $25 annual fee on top of regular registration. The fee structure directs the first $6,000 collected each year to the state's distinctive plate development fund, with any excess funds deposited into the "North Country Honor Flight fund." This fund, managed by the state's finance and comptroller offices, will be used exclusively to support the North Country Honor Flight organization, which arranges free trips for veterans to visit war memorials. The bill creates a sustainable funding mechanism for the veterans' program through license plate sales, without requiring upfront state appropriations.
Relates to establishing distinctive "Women Veterans" plates and the women veterans support fund; establishes that moneys of the fund will be used for women veteran homelessness, counseling and other programs that support women veterans.
This bill designates the fourth Thursday in March as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day" in New York State. It adds this date to the existing list of official commemorative days in the state's law, which already includes days honoring figures like Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. The bill does not create new programs or funding - it simply establishes a recognized day to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in U.S. history. The designation applies statewide to all government and educational institutions.
Authorizes municipalities to offer a real property tax exemption for combat zone service members who at any time during the taxable year performed active duty in the armed forces in a combat zone; defines terms; makes related provisions.
This bill designates March 25 as "Medal of Honor Day" in New York State, adding it to the official list of days of commemoration. It does not create new policies or affect specific groups; instead, it formally recognizes this date for honoring recipients of the Medal of Honor. The bill amends existing law to include this designation without altering any substantive rights, obligations, or funding. As a procedural measure, it requires no further action beyond the state's calendar of recognized observances.
Provides that the "Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag" shall be the official state flag for the raising of awareness of veteran suicide; directs the commissioner of general services to establish a protocol for the flying of such flag.
This bill amends New York's law to explicitly include veterans in the legal definition of "military status." It expands the current definition - which already covers active military service - to protect veterans who have completed their service from unlawful discrimination. The key change adds the phrase "a person's participation in the military service... if such person has been released from such service" to the existing definition. This means veterans will now be covered under the same anti-discrimination protections that apply to active-duty military personnel. The change applies to all areas governed by this law, including employment and housing.
Bill S 2289 expands the eligibility for veterans' preference in Mitchell-Lama housing projects. Currently, this preference is available to veterans who served during a time of war. This bill removes that wartime service requirement, making the housing preference available to all veterans and their surviving spouses as defined by the civil service law. This change applies to projects with open waiting lists and will be implemented when closed lists reopen. The bill also maintains that current residents have first priority for internal transfers within their existing projects.
This bill adds a non-voting representative from the division of service-disabled veterans' business development to the state cannabis advisory board. The amendment specifies that this new member, alongside existing non-voting department representatives, will join the board's thirteen voting members. The change does not alter the board's voting structure or policy authority but expands the advisory group's composition to include veterans' business development expertise. The bill is procedural, focusing solely on board membership composition with no direct policy changes to cannabis regulation.
Relates to preferences under the affordable home ownership development program for veterans with service-related disabilities; defines "veteran with a service-related disability".
