S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1804
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 17, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. LAVINE, LUPARDO, JAFFEE, BARRETT, COOK, OTIS,
   PERRY, HUNTER, COLTON, MOSLEY, SEAWRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by  --  M.
   of A. CRESPO, CROUCH, FAHY, MALLIOTAKIS, McDONOUGH, MONTESANO, RAIA --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security
   and Military Affairs

 AN  ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing certain
   benefits to veterans; and to amend the correction law, in relation  to
   requiring certain reports relating to veterans
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Subdivision 1 of section 3803 of the public health law, as
 amended by chapter 743 of the laws  of  2006,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  There  is hereby created within the department the veterans health
 care information program (referred to in this section as the "program"),
 which shall provide information on health issues associated  with  mili-
 tary duty, including but not limited to Agent Orange, SPINA BIFIDA, Gulf
 War  Syndromes,  toxic  materials  or  harmful  physical agents such as,
 depleted uranium, and hepatitis C,  AND  SPECIFIC  MENTAL  AND  PHYSICAL
 HEALTH  ISSUES INCLUDING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, TRAUMATIC BRAIN
 INJURY AND OTHER BRAIN-RELATED INJURIES, for veterans,  their  surviving
 spouses, CHILDREN OF VETERANS and health care providers.
   §  2. Subdivision 1 of section 29 of the correction law, as amended by
 section 12 of subpart A of part C of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   1.  The  department  shall  continue to collect, maintain, and analyze
 statistical and other information  and  data  with  respect  to  persons
 subject to the jurisdiction of the department, including but not limited
 to: (a) the number of such persons: placed in the custody of the depart-
 ment,  assigned  to  a  specific  department program, accorded community
 supervision and declared delinquent, recommitted to a state correctional
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD03275-01-9

 A. 1804                             2
 
 institution upon revocation of community supervision, or discharged upon
 maximum expiration  of  sentence;  (b)  the  criminal  history  of  such
 persons;  (c)  the  social, educational, and vocational circumstances of
 any such persons; [and,] (d) the institutional and community supervision
 programs  and  the behavior of such persons; AND, (E) THE MILITARY BACK-
 GROUND AND CIRCUMSTANCES, IF SUCH PERSON SERVED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES
 ARMED  FORCES.  Provided, however, in the event any statistical informa-
 tion on the ethnic background of the inmate population of a correctional
 facility or facilities is collected by the department, such  statistical
 information  shall  contain, but not be limited to, the following ethnic
 categories: (i) Caucasian;  (ii)  Asian;  (iii)  American  Indian;  (iv)
 Afro-American/Black;  and  (v)  Spanish speaking/Hispanic which category
 shall include, but  not  be  limited  to,  the  following  subcategories
 consisting  of:  (1)  Puerto Ricans; (2) Cubans; (3) Dominicans; and (4)
 other Hispanic nationalities.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the  addition,  amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
 before such date.