STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5819

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 15, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. METZGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
          ty and Military Affairs

        AN ACT to amend the executive law, in  relation  to  the  definition  of
          "veteran"

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 357 of the  executive  law,
     2  subdivision  1 as amended by chapter 43 of the laws of 1996, are amended
     3  to read as follows:
     4    1. County veterans' service agencies. There  shall  be  established  a
     5  county veterans' service agency in each county not wholly included with-
     6  in a city, and there shall be a county director of each county veterans'
     7  service  agency.  Any  county director hired after the effective date of
     8  this statute shall be a veteran [as defined in New York state  statute];
     9  provided  however,  for the purposes of this section, a veteran may also
    10  include an individual with a DD Form  214,  Certificate  of  Release  or
    11  Discharge  from  Active Duty. The [chairman] chairperson of the board of
    12  supervisors of a county, with the approval of the board of  supervisors,
    13  shall appoint and may at pleasure remove a county director of the county
    14  veterans'  service  agency  for such county. In a county having a county
    15  president, a county executive or other  chief  executive  officer,  such
    16  president  or executive officer shall appoint and may at pleasure remove
    17  a county director. The county director may be paid such compensation  as
    18  shall  be  fixed by the appointing officer and the board of supervisors.
    19  The county director shall appoint such assistants and employees as he or
    20  she may deem necessary, other than those, if any, supplied by the state;
    21  he or she may prescribe the duties of those appointed by him or her  and
    22  fix  their  salaries  within  the appropriations made available for that
    23  purpose by the county and may at pleasure remove any such assistants  or
    24  employees.  The  county  director shall have jurisdiction throughout the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11304-01-9

        S. 5819                             2

     1  territorial limits of the county, including any city therein which  does
     2  not have a city veterans' service agency, provided that after the estab-
     3  lishment of a city veterans' service agency in any such city, the county
     4  director shall not have jurisdiction within such city.
     5    2.  City  veterans'  service  agency.  There may be established a city
     6  veterans' service agency in each city; and there shall be a city  direc-
     7  tor  of  each  city  veterans'  service agency which is established. The
     8  mayor of such city, or the city manager in  a  city  of  less  than  one
     9  hundred  forty  thousand population having a city manager, shall appoint
    10  and may at pleasure remove the city director. A  city  director  may  be
    11  paid  such  compensation as shall be fixed by the mayor or city manager,
    12  as the case may be, empowered to appoint  the  city  director,  and  the
    13  governing body of the city. The city director may appoint such deputies,
    14  assistants  and  employees  as  he  or she may deem necessary other than
    15  those, if any, supplied by the state; he or she may prescribe the duties
    16  of those appointed by him or her  and  fix  their  salaries  within  the
    17  appropriations  made  available  for that purpose by the city and may at
    18  pleasure remove any such assistant or employee. A  city  director  shall
    19  have jurisdiction throughout the territorial limits of the city.
    20    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    21  have become a law.