Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that legislation to promote outdoor recreation opportunities for veterans passed the Assembly’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs earlier today (A.8094).

“The freedoms we enjoy each day should remind us of just how much veterans mean to our country,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “Our veterans put their lives on the line to defend the liberties we hold dear, and we can never say thank you enough,” Santabarbara added.

The Outdoor Rx Act would facilitate collaboration between state agencies, veterans’ organizations and nonprofits to coordinate the use of lands to benefit veterans. Outdoor and nature-based activities can have an invaluable therapeutic effect on those struggling with service-related traumas such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or substance abuse disorder.

As a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve, member of the State Assembly’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and former commander of AMVETS Post 35, Santabarbara has always fought for New York’s veterans. He authored and passed a law allowing veterans who continue to serve their communities as members of AMVETS, the largest veteran service organization in the country, to obtain specialty license plates recognizing their service (Ch. 105 of 2017), and has worked with local businesses and organizations to create priority parking spaces for Purple Heart veterans.