S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  1231--A
     Cal. No. 801
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 8, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. GIANARIS, ADDABBO, FELDER, HELMING, JORDAN, WEIK --
   read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to
   the  Committee  on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs --
   recommitted to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and  Mili-
   tary  Affairs  in  accordance  with  Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported
   favorably from said committee, ordered to  first  and  second  report,
   ordered  to  a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining
   its place in the order of third reading
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal  law,  in  relation  to  directing
   counties  and  the city of New York to request a congressionally char-
   tered veterans' organization to arrange for the funeral and burial  of
   a deceased veteran who has no next of kin or other person to make such
   arrangements
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1-a  of  section  148  of  the
 general  municipal law, as amended by chapter 29 of the laws of 2016, is
 amended and a new paragraph (f) is added to read as follows:
   (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in  the  case
 of  a  veteran,  as  defined  in  section forty-two hundred three of the
 public health law, who died in a county or the city of New York  leaving
 no  funds  or insurance sufficient to pay funeral and burial expenses of
 such veteran and such veteran has no next of kin  or  person  of  record
 previously  designated  to control his or her final disposition pursuant
 to section four thousand two hundred one of the public health law,  such
 county  or  the  city  of New York [may] SHALL request a congressionally
 chartered veterans' organization within the county or the  city  of  New
 York  where  the  decedent  resided  at the time of death, to engage the
 services of a funeral firm to conduct the funeral and burial services.
   (F) (I) SUCH VETERANS' ORGANIZATION AND/OR THE FUNERAL FIRM ENGAGED TO
 PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES MAY MAKE APPLICATION TO THE DIVISION OF  VETERANS'
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD03124-02-2
 S. 1231--A                          2
 
 SERVICES  FOR  INDIGENT BURIAL REIMBURSEMENT AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION
 AS JOINT CLAIMANT WITH THE VETERANS' ORGANIZATION, OR WITH  THE  CONSENT
 OF SUCH VETERANS' ORGANIZATION.
   (II)  IF  SUCH  VETERANS'  ORGANIZATION  DECLINES SUCH REQUEST FOR ANY
 REASON, A COUNTY OR THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK  MAY  DIRECTLY  ENGAGE  THE
 SERVICES OF A FUNERAL FIRM WHICH SHALL THEN SERVE AS A SOLE CLAIMANT.
   (III)  THE  APPLICATION FORM SHALL ALSO CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING INFORMA-
 TION ABOUT THE FUNERAL FIRM WHOSE SERVICES ARE BEING ENGAGED: (1)  NAME;
 (2) FULL ADDRESS; (3) TELEPHONE; (4) E-MAIL ADDRESS; (5) NAME OF FUNERAL
 DIRECTOR  SUPERVISING  THE  SERVICES; (6) THE SUPERVISING FUNERAL DIREC-
 TOR'S LICENSE NUMBER; AND (7) ANY OTHER INFORMATION THE DIRECTOR OF  THE
 DIVISION OF VETERANS' SERVICES MAY REQUIRE.
   (IV) SUCH APPLICATION MUST ALSO BE SIGNED AND DATED BY THE SUPERVISING
 FUNERAL DIRECTOR.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.