Bill Text: NY S01026 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Enables veterans and reservists to receive benefit information upon applying for or renewing a driver's license.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S01026 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S01026-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1026--A Cal. No. 51 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 10, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sens. RIVERA, KENNEDY, SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Trans- portation -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the executive law, in relation to enabling veterans and reservists to receive benefit infor- mation upon applying for or renewing a driver's license The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 494 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by 2 adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows: 3 3. The commissioner, in consultation with the director of the division 4 of veterans' services, is directed to establish a process by which the 5 department shall refer driver's license and non-driver identification 6 card applicants requesting and obtaining a notation upon such license or 7 non-driver identification card that he or she is a veteran of the United 8 States armed forces pursuant to subdivision three of section four 9 hundred ninety of this article or subdivision one of section five 10 hundred two of this chapter, upon his or her request, to the division of 11 veterans' services, consistent with the provisions of section three 12 hundred fifty-four-a of the executive law. Such process shall ensure a 13 space is provided for applicant to demonstrate his or her intent to 14 share his or her application information with the division of veterans' 15 services, to enable the division of veterans' services to provide bene- 16 fits information to applicant. Such process shall also be exempt from 17 subdivision two of section eighty-seven of the public officers law. 18 § 2. Section 508 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a 19 new subdivision 6 to read as follows: 20 6. The commissioner, in consultation with the director of the division 21 of veterans' services, is directed to establish a process by which the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00712-05-9S. 1026--A 2 1 department shall refer driver's license and non-driver identification 2 card applicants requesting and obtaining a notation upon such license or 3 non-driver identification card that he or she is a veteran of the United 4 States armed forces pursuant to subdivision three of section four 5 hundred ninety of this chapter or subdivision one of section five 6 hundred two of this article, upon his or her request, to the division of 7 veterans' services, consistent with the provisions of section three 8 hundred fifty-four-a of the executive law. Such process shall ensure a 9 space is provided for applicant to demonstrate his or her intent to 10 share his or her application information with the division of veterans' 11 services, to enable the division of veterans' services to provide bene- 12 fits information to applicant. Such process shall also be exempt from 13 subdivision two of section eighty-seven of the public officers law. 14 § 3. Section 353 of the executive law is amended by adding a new 15 subdivision 1-a to read as follows: 16 1-a. To establish, direct, and supervise a veterans' public engagement 17 program unit to contact veterans and potential beneficiaries of veterans 18 benefits, with the goal of obtaining all the benefits a veteran or the 19 veteran's claimant earned through their service to our country. 20 § 4. Section 354-a of the executive law, as amended by section 8 of 21 part AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as 22 follows: 23 § 354-a. Information on status of veterans receiving assistance. 24 Departments, divisions, bureaus, boards, commissions and agencies of the 25 state and political subdivisions thereof, which provide assistance, 26 treatment, counseling, care, supervision or custody in service areas 27 involving health, mental health, family services, criminal justice or 28 employment, including but not limited to the office of alcoholism and 29 substance abuse services, office of mental health, office of probation 30 and correctional alternatives, office of children and family services, 31 office of temporary and disability assistance, department of health, 32 department of labor, local workforce investment boards, office for 33 people with developmental disabilities, and department of corrections 34 and community supervision, shall request assisted persons to provide 35 information with regard to their veteran status and military experi- 36 ences. Individuals identifying themselves as veterans, including indi- 37 viduals requesting and obtaining a veterans notation on their driver's 38 license or non-driver identification card pursuant to sections four 39 hundred ninety and five hundred two of the vehicle and traffic law, 40 shall be advised that the division of veterans' services and local 41 veterans' service agencies established pursuant to section three hundred 42 fifty-seven of this article provide assistance to veterans regarding 43 benefits under federal and state law. Information regarding veterans 44 status and military service provided by assisted persons solely to 45 implement this section shall be disclosed to the New York state division 46 of veterans' services for use in such division's veterans' public 47 engagement program established pursuant to section three hundred fifty- 48 three of this article and shall be protected as personal confidential 49 information under article six-A of the public officers law against 50 disclosure of confidential material, and used only to assist in the 51 diagnosis, treatment, assessment and handling of the veteran's problems 52 within the agency requesting such information and in referring the 53 veteran to the division of veterans' services for information and 54 assistance with regard to benefits and entitlements under federal and 55 state law.S. 1026--A 3 1 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 2 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 3 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 4 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 5 completed on or before such effective date.
