New York State Assembly

 
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A03397 Summary:

A03397 Actions:

A03397 Committee Votes:

Committee:VETERANS' AFFAIRS   Chair:Stern      
DATE:05/19/2025AYE/NAY:18/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
Stern
Aye
Manktelow
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Morinello
Aye
Pheffer Amato
Aye
Hawley
Aye
Jones
Aye
Smullen
Aye
Buttenschon
Aye
Angelino
Aye
Rajkumar
Aye
Septimo
Absent
Burdick
Aye
Eachus
Aye
Berger
Aye
Griffin
Aye
Kay
Aye
O'Pharrow
Aye
Schiavoni
Aye

Committee:VETERANS' AFFAIRS   Chair:Stern      
DATE:01/28/2026AYE/NAY:18/0  Action: Favorable         
Stern
Aye
Manktelow
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Morinello
Aye
Pheffer Amato
Aye
Hawley
Aye
Buttenschon
Aye
Smullen
Aye
Rajkumar
Aye
Angelino
Aye
Septimo
Aye
Burdick
Aye
Eachus
Aye
Berger
Aye
Griffin
Excused
Kay
Aye
O'Pharrow
Aye
Schiavoni
Aye
Cashman
Aye

A03397 Floor Votes:

A03397 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A3397A
 
SPONSOR: Raga

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to revising the
New York state veteran's memorial and monument registry
 
 
PURPOSE:
 
This legislation would facilitate additional entries on the New York
State Veterans Memorial Registry.
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
 
Section one amends Section 29-a of the Veterans' Services Law, as added
by Chapter 14 of the Laws of 2023, to:
 
*Change the name of the Department of Veterans' Services' memorial
registry site from New York Veterans Memorial Registry' to 'New York
State Veteran's Memorial and Monument Registry;
 
*Require the registry to be maintained by the Department of Veterans
Services in collaboration with the director of the New York State Mili-
tary Museum and Veterans Resource Center, the Commissioner of the Office
of Parks, Recreation and Historic preservation, the Commissioner of the
Office of General Services and, the State Historian, and respective
agencies and local veteran organizations
 
*include details about the location, history, significance, specific
veterans, appropriate images, and other relevant information.
 
Section two amends the Veterans Services Law to require DVS to make
information about the memorial and monument registry on its website and
mobile application;
 
Section three encourages the NYC Department of Veterans Services and the
Department of Parks to consider making submissions to the registry.
 
Section four establishes the effective date.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:

Previous legislation (A9590/S8729 and A618/S843) were instrumental in
the implementation of a centralized database of veteran memorials, but
it is limited. This legislation builds upon these pieces of legislation
by making it easier for veteran monuments to be included in the registry
and for information to be submitted and uploaded to the site. This
legislation will help make steps toward creating a more exhaustive list
of all veteran memorials and monuments in New York State, resulting in
the honoring of veterans, the education of the public, and the promotion
of tourism.
 
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
2024: New Bill.
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
Minimal.
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

A03397 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         3397--A
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 27, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. RAGA, BEEPHAN -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Veterans' Affairs -- committee discharged, bill  amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
        AN  ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to revising the
          New York state veteran's memorial and monument registry

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Section  29-a  of the veterans' services law, as added by
     2  chapter 14 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 29-a. [Veterans] New York  state  veteran's  memorial  and  monument
     4  registry. 1. The New York state veteran's memorial and monument registry
     5  is  hereby  established  and  shall  be  developed and maintained by the
     6  department [is directed to  develop  a  veterans  memorial  registry  in
     7  consultation]  in  collaboration with the director of the New York state
     8  military museum and veterans resource center, the  commissioner  of  the
     9  office  of parks, recreation and historic preservation, the commissioner
    10  of the office of general services  [and],  the  state  historian,  state
    11  archivist, and relevant agencies and statewide veteran organizations and
    12  local posts and chapters of such veteran organizations as well as munic-
    13  ipal  associations.  The registry shall be made available on the depart-
    14  ment's website.
    15    2. The registry shall consist of a searchable and filterable  database
    16  of those [veterans] veteran's memorials and monuments located within the
    17  state  submitted  pursuant  to  subdivision  three  of this section. The
    18  registry shall include, but not be limited to, information regarding the
    19  location, history, significance, and any available images of [a  memori-
    20  al]  such  veteran's memorials and monuments, and who or what veteran or
    21  battle such memorial is honoring.  Additional  information  may  include
    22  historical information such as who authorized the erection of such memo-
    23  rial  or monument and the year of the dedication. Such registry shall be
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02553-02-5
        A. 3397--A                          2
 
     1  searchable and filterable by  location,  veteran  [or],  conflict,  era,
     2  battle, war or any other criteria the state commissioner deems relevant.
     3    3.  The state commissioner shall issue, on behalf of the department, a
     4  public request for information for any county, city,  town,  or  village
     5  desiring  to  have any memorial or monument located within their munici-
     6  pality listed within the registry. Each county,  city,  town[,  or]  and
     7  village may submit responses to the department's request for information
     8  at  any time after the request for information has been issued. Individ-
     9  uals and organizations, including but not limited  to,  local  veterans'
    10  service  agencies  staff and members of congressionally chartered veter-
    11  ans' service organizations may provide recommendations to a municipality
    12  for inclusion in the registry. In responding to the department's  public
    13  request for information, a municipality shall identify [the memorial or]
    14  any  memorials and monuments it desires to have included in the registry
    15  and submit any information required pursuant to subdivision two of  this
    16  section  to the department. The registry shall be updated promptly after
    17  the department receives submitted memorial and monument information.
    18    § 2. Section 4 of the veterans' services law is amended  by  adding  a
    19  new subdivision 40 to read as follows:
    20    40.  To  make  available  to all governing bodies of each municipality
    21  via, among other things, publications on the department's  website,  the
    22  free  mobile  application established pursuant to subdivision twenty-one
    23  of this section, and local veterans' service agencies established pursu-
    24  ant to section fourteen of this article, information regarding  the  New
    25  York State Veteran's Memorial and Monument Registry established pursuant
    26  to section twenty-nine-a of this article. Such information covered under
    27  this subdivision shall be maintained and updated annually.
    28    §  3.  The  commissioner  of the New York city department of veterans'
    29  services established pursuant to title thirty-one of the  administrative
    30  code of the city of New York shall, in consultation with the commission-
    31  er  of  the  New  York  city department of parks established pursuant to
    32  title eighteen of the administrative code  of  the  city  of  New  York,
    33  consider making submissions to the registry pursuant to this act.
    34    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.