NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8568
SPONSOR: Jean-Pierre TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to the term veteran and Gold Star families and the free use of
campsites
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to make technical amendments to Chapter 616
of the Laws of 2023.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill would:
®provide technical amendments to the definition of "veteran;" and,
®add a definition of "member of a gold star family"
JUSTIFICATION:
Chapter 616 of the Laws of 2023 expanded free access to parks for veter-
ans and authorized free access by members of Gold Star families. This
legislation provides technical corrections, requested by the Executive,
to help ensure effective implementation.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as
Chapter 616 of the Laws of 2023..
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8568
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JEAN-PIERRE -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to the term veteran and Gold Star families and the free use
of campsites
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 13.19 of the parks, recreation and
2 historic preservation law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2023
3 amending the parks, recreation and historic preservation law relating to
4 Gold Star families, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3309-a
5 and A. 6084-a, is amended to read as follows:
6 2. For the purposes of this section (a) "veteran" shall[: (a) have
7 the same meaning] mean a resident of this state who is: (i) a veteran as
8 such term is defined in section one of the veterans' services law [and
9 shall be a resident of this state who has served on active duty or
10 ordered to active duty and has been discharged or released therefrom
11 under conditions other than dishonorable, or has a qualifying condition,
12 as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has
13 received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such
14 service, or is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of
15 the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad
16 conduct or dishonorable from such service]; or [(b) mean an individual]
17 (ii) a person who has served on active duty [or ordered to active duty]
18 for the state as a member of the state organized militia as defined in
19 subdivision nine of section one of the military law and who was
20 discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonor-
21 able; or (iii) a person who has served on active duty in the uniformed
22 services of the United States or on active duty for the state as a
23 member of the organized militia and has a qualifying condition, as
24 defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a
25 discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or
26 is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans'
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07477-04-4
A. 8568 2
1 services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or
2 dishonorable from such service; and
3 (b) "member of a Gold Star family" shall mean a resident of this state
4 who is a gold star parent as defined in section twenty-six of the veter-
5 ans' services law, the spouse or domestic partner, or the biological,
6 step, or legally adopted minor child of a veteran whose death qualified
7 the parent for an annuity.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
9 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the parks, recreation
10 and historic preservation law relating to Gold Star families, as
11 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3309-a and A. 6084-a, takes
12 effect.
