Bill Text: NY S06655 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the "New York state veterans cemetery act"; directs the division to conduct an investigation and study on the issue of the establishment of a New York state veterans cemetery funding program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO VETERANS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND MILITARY AFFAIRS [S06655 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S06655-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6655

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 3, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. GRIFFO, LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when  printed  to  be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland
          Security and Military Affairs

        AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the  establishment  of
          the New York state veterans cemetery act

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

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "New York state veterans cemetery act".
     3    §  2.  The  executive  law is amended by adding a new section 368-c to
     4  read as follows:
     5    § 368-c. Veterans cemetery funding promotion program. The division  is
     6  hereby  directed  to  establish,  produce  and  conduct a New York state
     7  veterans cemetery funding promotion program. The purpose of the New York
     8  state veterans cemetery funding program would be to encourage the giving
     9  of financial contributions, by individuals, groups and corporations,  to
    10  the  veterans  remembrance  and cemetery maintenance and operation fund,
    11  created pursuant to section ninety-seven-mmmm of the state finance  law,
    12  which  was established to provide funding for veterans cemeteries pursu-
    13  ant to the New  York  state  veterans  cemetery  program  created  under
    14  section  three  hundred  sixty-five of this chapter. In establishing the
    15  New York state veterans cemetery funding promotion program, the division
    16  shall establish, produce and conduct programs, projects,  and  materials
    17  designed to encourage the giving of financial contributions, by individ-
    18  uals,  groups and corporations, to the veterans remembrance and cemetery
    19  maintenance and operation fund. The division shall further seek, and may
    20  apply on behalf of the state of New York, for grants and  contributions,
    21  from governments and/or other institutional funding sources, for deposit
    22  in,  and  use  by, the veterans remembrance and cemetery maintenance and
    23  operation fund, for the purpose of constructing, operating and financing
    24  New York state veterans cemeteries.  Every  year,  not  later  than  the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05506-02-3
        S. 6655                             2

     1  fifteenth of December, the division shall produce a report of the activ-
     2  ities  and  operation  of  the  New York state veterans cemetery funding
     3  promotion program, and shall deliver a copy of such report to the gover-
     4  nor,  the temporary president of the senate, the senate minority leader,
     5  the speaker of the assembly, the assembly minority leader, the chair  of
     6  the  senate  standing committee on veterans, homeland security and mili-
     7  tary affairs, the ranking member of the  senate  standing  committee  on
     8  veterans,  homeland  security  and  military  affairs,  the chair of the
     9  assembly standing committee on veterans' affairs, and the ranking member
    10  of the assembly standing committee on veterans' affairs.    Such  report
    11  shall contain information on the operations and progress of the New York
    12  state  veterans cemetery funding promotion program, as well as recommen-
    13  dations to the legislature on the New York state veterans cemetery fund-
    14  ing promotion program, and establishing, maintaining and operating state
    15  veterans cemeteries in accordance with the New York state veterans ceme-
    16  tery program.
    17    § 3. The veterans' services law is amended by  adding  a  new  section
    18  24-a to read as follows:
    19    § 24-a. Veterans cemetery funding promotion program. The department is
    20  hereby  directed  to  establish,  produce  and  conduct a New York state
    21  veterans cemetery funding promotion program. The purpose of the New York
    22  state veterans cemetery funding promotion program would be to  encourage
    23  the giving of financial contributions, by individuals, groups and corpo-
    24  rations, to the veterans remembrance and cemetery maintenance and opera-
    25  tion  fund,  created  pursuant to section ninety-seven-mmmm of the state
    26  finance law, which was established to provide funding for veterans ceme-
    27  teries pursuant to the New York state veterans cemetery program  created
    28  under  section twenty-four of this article. In establishing the New York
    29  state veterans cemetery funding promotion program, the department  shall
    30  establish,   produce  and  conduct  programs,  projects,  and  materials
    31  designed to encourage the giving of financial contributions, by individ-
    32  uals, groups and corporations, to the veterans remembrance and  cemetery
    33  maintenance  and operation fund.  The department shall further seek, and
    34  may apply on behalf of the state of New York, for  grants  and  contrib-
    35  utions, from governments and/or other institutional funding sources, for
    36  deposit  in,  and  use by, the veterans remembrance and cemetery mainte-
    37  nance and operation fund, for the purpose of constructing, operating and
    38  financing New York state veterans cemeteries. Every year, not later than
    39  the fifteenth of December, the department shall produce a report of  the
    40  activities and operation of the New York state veterans cemetery funding
    41  promotion program, and shall deliver a copy of such report to the gover-
    42  nor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly,
    43  the chair of the senate standing committee on veterans, homeland securi-
    44  ty and military affairs and the chair of the assembly standing committee
    45  on veterans' affairs. Such report shall contain information on the oper-
    46  ations  and  progress  of  the  New York state veterans cemetery funding
    47  promotion program, as well as recommendations to the legislature on  the
    48  New  York  state veterans cemetery funding promotion program, and estab-
    49  lishing, maintaining and operating state veterans cemeteries in  accord-
    50  ance with the New York state veterans cemetery program.
    51    §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
    52  section 368-c of the executive law as added by section two of  this  act
    53  shall  be subject to the repeal of such article pursuant to section 1 of
    54  part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of 2022, as amended,  when  upon  such
    55  date the provisions of section three of this act shall take effect.