S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9358
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               March 6, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Veterans' Affairs
 
 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:

   Section 1. Section 29-a of the veterans' services  law,  as  added  by
 chapter 14 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   §  29-a.  [Veterans]  NEW  YORK  STATE VETERAN'S memorial AND MONUMENT
 registry. 1. The NEW YORK STATE VETERAN'S MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT REGISTRY
 IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED AND SHALL  BE  DEVELOPED  AND  MAINTAINED  BY  THE
 department  [is  directed  to  develop  a  veterans memorial registry in
 consultation] IN COLLABORATION with the director of the New  York  state
 military  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 VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS  WITHIN  NEW  YORK  TOWNS,
 VILLAGES,  COUNTIES  AND CITIES. The registry shall be made available on
 the department's website.
   2. The registry shall consist of a searchable AND FILTERABLE  database
 of those [veterans] VETERAN'S memorials located within the state submit-
 ted  pursuant  to  subdivision three of this section. The registry shall
 include, but not be limited to, [information regarding] A  COMPREHENSIVE
 LIST  OF  ALL  DEDICATED  VETERAN MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS, the location,
 HISTORY, SIGNIFICANCE, AND IMAGES of [a  memorial  and]  SUCH  DEDICATED
 VETERAN  MONUMENTS  AND  MEMORIALS,  who  or what veteran or battle such
 memorial is honoring[. Additional information  may  include  historical]
 AND information such as who authorized the erection of such memorial and
 the  year  of  the  dedication.  Such  registry  shall be searchable AND
 FILTERABLE by location, veteran [or], CONFLICT ERA, battle OR ANY  OTHER
 CRITERIA THE STATE COMMISSIONER DEEMS RELEVANT.
   3.  The state commissioner shall issue, on behalf of the department, a
 public request for information for any county, city,  town,  or  village
 desiring  to  have any memorial located within their municipality listed
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14459-01-4
 A. 9358                             2
 
 within the registry. Each county, city, town[,  or]  AND  village  [may]
 SHALL  submit  responses to the department's request for information [at
 any time] WITHIN ONE HUNDRED TWENTY DAYS after the request for  informa-
 tion  has  been  issued; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, EVERY COUNTY, CITY, TOWN AND
 VILLAGE WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE SHALL SUBMIT  RESPONSES
 TO  THE  DEPARTMENT'S  REQUEST FOR INFORMATION WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER THE
 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION HAS BEEN ISSUED. Individuals and  organizations,
 including but not limited to, local veterans' service agencies staff and
 members of congressionally chartered veterans' service organizations may
 provide recommendations to a municipality for inclusion in the registry.
 In  responding  to  the  department's  public request for information, a
 municipality shall identify [the memorial or] ANY  memorials  AND  MONU-
 MENTS  it desires to have included in the registry and submit any infor-
 mation required pursuant to subdivision  two  of  this  section  to  the
 department.  THE  REGISTRY  SHALL  BE  UPDATED  WITHIN SIXTY DAYS OF THE
 DEPARTMENT RECEIVING INFORMATION ON ANY VETERAN'S  MEMORIALS  AND  MONU-
 MENTS WITH SUCH INFORMATION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.